Қазақстанның мұнай-газ саласының хабаршысыҚазақстанның мұнай-газ саласының хабаршысы2707-42262957-806XKMG Engineering8885910.54859/kjogi88859Research ArticleDeep oil. Offshore deposits of the Gulf of MexicoIskazievK. O.<p>канд. геол.-мин. наук, профессор, Генеральный директор, Председатель Правления</p>k.iskaziyev@kmgep.kzSyngaevskyP. E.<p>канд. геол.-мин. наук, старший советник, петрофизик</p>shadow63raven@yandex.ruKhafizovS. F.<p>докт. геол.-мин. наук, профессор, заведующий кафедрой поисков и разведки нефти и газа</p>khafizov@gubkin.ruАО «Разведка и Добыча «КазМунайГаз»Noble EnergyРГУ нефти и газа им. Губкина150320213132122112021Copyright © 2021, Iskaziev K.O., Syngaevsky P.E., Khafizov S.F.2021<p>This article continues a series of reviews of the world’s oil and gas basins, where active exploration and development of hydrocarbon deposits in superdeep (6 km +) horizons are taking place, as probable analogues of projects in the Caspian megabasin, primarily the Eurasia project. In this regard the Gulf of Mexico is of great interest, since this region is very well studies over such a long history of its development and thus makes it possible to analyze a huge amount of data collected during this time.</p> <p>The Gulf of Mexico includes the deep-water, offshore and coastal parts of three countries – the United States, Mexico and Cuba, and is one of the most important oil and gas provinces in the world. Its deposits are represented by various complexes – from the Middle Jurassic to modern sediments, with a total thickness of 14,000 m and more. Exploration for hydrocarbons has been going on here for almost 100 years. During this time, various new technologies have been developed and successfully applied, such as forecasting abnormally high reservoir pressure, cyclostratigraphy and seismic facies analysis, characterization of low-resistivity productive reservoirs and the search for ultra-deep hydrocarbon deposits.</p> <p>Of all the variety of objects developed in the Gulf, in the context of the study of deep deposits, the main interest and possible associations with the Caspian megabasin are the deposits of the Norflet Formation of the Upper Jurassic, which are discussed in the main part of this article. Of course, we are not talking about a direct comparison; in particular, the aeolian origin of part of the section makes this object significantly different. Nevertheless, according to the authors, studying it, as well as understanding how a successful project for its development is being implemented right before our eyes, can provide a lot of important information for working in the deep horizons of the Caspian region.</p> <p>The article is divided into two parts. The first examines the geological history of the formation of the Gulf of Mexico Basin, the features of the deep-lying productive complex of the Norflet Formation. The second part provides information about the history of exploration of the Norflet productive complex, characteristics of the main discoveries, as well as the prospects for discoveries of new superdeep deposits in the Norflet Formation within the Gulf of Mexico (sectors of the United States and Mexico). Analysis of the history of the development of this complex by the global «player» – Shell, is very important, as one of the scenarios for the development of deep horizons in other oil and gas basins, incl. Caspian. International Oil Companies are able to mobilize the necessary resources and technology to effectively address this challenge.</p>Gulf of MexicoCaspian megabasinsedimentary basinМексика шығанағыКаспий маңы мегаалабышөгінді жыныстар бассейніМексиканский заливПрикаспийский мегабассейносадочный бассейн1.Blakey R.C. Using Paleogeographic Maps to Portray Phanerozoic Geologic and Paleotectonic History of Western North America. – Search and Discovery, 2013, Article #30267.2.Hudec M.R., Norton I.O., Jackson M.P.A., and Peel F.J. Jurassic evolution of the Gulf of Mexico salt basin. – American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 2013, v. 97, No. 10, p. 1683–1710.3.Hudec M.R., Jackson M.P.A., and Peel F.J. Influence of deep Louann structure on the evolution of the northern Gulf of Mexico. – American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 2013, v. 97, No. 10, p. 1711–1735, doi:10.1306/04011312074.4.Jackson M.P.A., Hudec M.R., Salt Tectonics: Principles and Practice. – Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2017.5.Comisión Nacional de Hidrocarburos, https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/65927/003_ABR-JUN_2015.pdf, 2015.6.Blakey R.C. and Ranney W. Ancient Landscapes of Western North America: A Geologic History with Paleogeographic Maps. – Project: Ancient Landscapes of Western North America. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-59636-5, 2017.7.Scotese C.R., Atlas of Earth History. – PALEOMAP Project, Arlington, Texas, 2001, р. 52. (http://www.scotese.com/).8.Galloway W.E. Depositional Evolution of the Gulf of Mexico Sedimentary Basin. – In: Sedimentary Basins of the World, Vol 5, The Sedimentary Basins of the United States and Canada, ed. Miall A.D., Elsevier, 2008, pp. 505 – 549.9.Galloway W.E., Ganey-Curry P.E., Li X., Buffler R.T. Cenozoic depositional history of the Gulf of Mexico basin. – American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 2000, v. 84, No 11, рр. 1743–1774.10.Weimer P., Bouroullec R., Adson J., Cossey S.P. An overview of the petroleum systems of the northern deep-water Gulf of Mexico. – American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 2017, v. 101, No 7, рр. 941–993.11.Godo T. The Appomattox field: Norphlet Aeolian sand dune reservoirs in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico. – In the book «Giant fields of the decade 2000–2010» (Eds Merrill R.K. and Sternbach C.A.), AAPG Memoir, Sept. 2017, p. 29–54.12.Snedden J.W. Stockli D.F. and Norton I.O. Paleogeographic Reconstruction and Provenance of Oxfordian Aeolian Sandstone Reservoirs in Mexico offshore areas; comparison to the Norphlet Aeolian System of the Northern Gulf of Mexico. – Geological Society, London, Special Publications. University of Glasgow, 2020.13.Godo T. The Smackover-Norphlet Petroleum System, Deepwater Gulf of Mexico: Oil Fields, Oil shows, and Dry Holes. – Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies, 2019, v. 8, p. 104–152.14.Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) – www.boem.gov/oil-gas-energy/leasing/eastern-gulf-mexico-sale-181-information, 2020.15.Ings S.J. and Beaumont C. Shortening viscous pressure ridges, a solution to the enigma of initiating salt “withdrawal” minibasins. – Geology, 2010, v. 38, p. 339–342.16.Nagihara S. and Smith M.A. Geothermal gradient and temperature of hydrogen sulfide-bearing reservoirs, Alabama continental shelf. – American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 2015, v. 89, No. 11, pp. 1451–1458.17.Kocurek G., and Havholm K. Eolian sequence stratigraphy – A conceptual framework. – In the book “Recent advances in and applications of siliciclastic sequence stratigraphy” (Eds Weimer P. and Posamentier H.), American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir 58, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1993, p. 393–409.18.NASA. Earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/87798, 2018.19.NASA. Earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/92695, 2018.20.Ajdukiewicz J.M., Nicholson P.H., and Esch W.L. Prediction of deep reservoir quality using early diagenetic process models in the Jurassic Norphlet Formation, Gulf of Mexico. – American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 2010, v. 94, No. 8, pp. 1189–1227.21.Busch B. Pilot study on provenance and depositional controls on clay mineral coatings in active fluvio-eolian systems, western USA. – Sedimentary Geology, June, 2020.22.Fryberger S.G, Hern C.Y. and Jones N. Modern and Ancient Analogues for Complex Eolian Reservoirs. – Search and discovery, Article #51401, AAPG Rocky Mountain Section Annual Meeting, 2017.23.Douglas S.W. The Jurassic Norphlet Formation of the Deep-Water Eastern Gulf of Mexico: A Sedimentologic Investigation of Aeolian Facies, their Reservoir Characteristics, and their Depositional History. – M.S. Thesis, Baylor University, 2010.24.Mancini E.A., Mink R.M., and Bearden B.L. Integrated geological, geophysical, and geochemical interpretation of Upper Jurassic petroleum trends in eastern Gulf of Mexico: Transactions. – Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies, United States, 1986, v. 36, p. 219–226.25.Xia H., Perez E.H., Dunn T.L. The impact of grain-coating chlorite on the effective porosity of sandstones. – Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2020, v. 115, 104237.26.Ryan P.C. and Hillier S. Berthierine/chamosite, corrensite, and discrete chlorite from evolved verdine and evaporite-associated facies in the Jurassic Sundance Formation, Wyoming. – American Mineralogist, 2002, v. 87, p. 1607–1615.27.Davison I. and Cunha T.A. Allochthonous salt sheet growth: Thermal implications for source rock maturation in the deepwater Burgos Basin and Perdido Fold Belt, Mexico. – Society of Exploration Geophysicists and American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Interpretation, 2017, v. 5, No. 1, p. T11–T21.28.Wang C., Zeng J., Yu Y., Cai W., Li D., Yang G., Liu Y., Wang Z. Origin, migration, and characterization of petroleum in the Perdido Fold Belt, Gulf of Mexico basin. – Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 2020, 107843.29.Macgregor D.S. Factors controlling the destruction or preservation of giant light oilfields. – Petroleum Geoscience, 1996, v. 2, p. 197–217.