Principal Investigators: William E. Galloway

Project Manager: Patricia E. Ganey-Curry

The Gulf of Mexico basin is perhaps one of the best studied basins in the world. Most of the work, however, has been concentrated around the periphery of the basin where oil and gas have historically been produced. There is still much to be learned about the deep basin fill as well as the about how the depositional history of the basin explains and predicts reservoir distribution patterns. The exploration successes and rejuvenated interest in the Paleogene plays, sub-salt stratigraphy, and deep gas exploration potential continue to make the GBDS project especially timely. 

The UT Gulf Basin Depositional Synthesis Project (GBDS) is an ongoing, industry-supported, comprehensive synthesis of Cenozoic fill of the entire Gulf of Mexico basin. The results are distributed as a digital data base that is updated regularly. The project has led to major new contributions to the understanding of the depositional history and framework of the Gulf of Mexico Basin (see bibliography below). The project has focused on refining sequence correlations between the continental margin and deep basin stratigraphies, mapping sedimentary transport axes and paleogeographies through time, defining the evolving roles of submarine canyons, retrogradational margins, and shelf-margin delta systems in localizing in time and space sand transport to the slope and abyssal plain, and better understanding regional controls on reservoir facies and their deposition. The project researchers have organized the information using ArcGIS geographic information system software developed by Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI - http://www.esri.com).

The deliverables for the project include a digital set of regional UTIG multi-channel seismic transects in the deep basin (traversing both U.S.A. and Mexico waters), a comprehensive GIS database, a suite of regional lithofacies and depositional systems maps generated from the data base and compilation of published information, and an extensive supporting bibliography. The maps encompass the entire Gulf of Mexico basin and cover the time period from the Paleocene to the Quaternary. Also included are a series of regional cross sections based on seismic and well control to illustrate the major geologic features and depositional relationships. These data together provide a comprehensive picture of Gulf-wide sedimentary history.

Project Objectives
The goal of the GBDS project is to produce a detailed, comprehensive and integrated synthesis of the post-Cretaceous history of the entire Gulf basin. Critical to this synthesis is the abundance of deep-water well data that has only been released in recent years. This project has created an extensive digital database that is dynamic and easily updated. The project continues to add new well data and to update maps and interpretations to reflect the new information. The end products if each two-year research phase include a series of regional unit top, growth structures, isopach, sand thickness, depositional features, and interpretive depositional systems maps for each of 18 regionally correlative Cenozoic genetic sequences. The gulf-wide sequence and depositional framework, in turn, provides participants a foundation for regional play definition, deep slope and basin reservoir prediction, and lease evaluation. Regional mapping of sequences from their fluvial/deltaic systems updip to their basinal equivalents, as interpreted on abyssal plain seismic lines, delineates sandy sediment transport axes from shelf to basin floor as a guide to reservoir prediction beyond and below existing well penetrations.

Education and Training
A number of graduate and undergraduate students work as research assistants on the project. They are gaining valuable knowledge and experience using the tools for compiling and interpreting the data. We are using the geographic information system ArcGIS to manage our database and Geoquestª interpretation software to work with the digital seismic data. The experience will help their marketability as they complete the educational experience and move into the employment world.

Project History
UT-GBDS is an industry supported project. The project is currently in its fifth phase and nineth year.

Staff and Support
The project is run by a team of UT Austin staff and graduate students under the supervision of Dr. William Galloway. It is supported by an international group of oil companies. Current or recent sponsors of the project include:
    * Amerada Hess Corporation
    * Anadarko Petroleum Corporation
    * BHP Billiton Petroleum (Americas) Inc.
    * BP America, Inc.
    * Chevron Corporation
    * ConocoPhillips Inc.
    * ENI Petoleum Co., Inc.
    * ExxonMobil Exploration Company
    * Kerr McGee Oil and Gas
    * Marathon Oil Company
    * Noble Energy Inc.
    * Norsk Hydro ASA
    * Pioneer Natural Resources
    * Spinnaker Exploration
    * Shell Exploration and Production Co.
    * Stone Energy
    * Total
    * Woodside Energy (USA) Inc

Earlier sponsors include:
    * Amoco Production
    * Arco Oil and Gas
    * Burlington Resources
    * Elf Exploration, Inc.
    * Nexen Inc.
    * Mobil Exploration & Producing US, Inc.
    * Oryx Energy
    * Pemex Exploracion y Produccion
    * Phillips Petroleum Company
    * Vastar Resources
    * Texaco USA
    * EnCana Corporation
    * UNOCAL
    * Japan National Oil Company

Data Contributor:
    * PaleoData

Publications derived from this project include:
Galloway, W. E., 2005, Gulf of Mexico Basin depositional record of Cenozoic North American drainage basin evolution, International Association of Sedimentologists Special Publication Number 35, p. 409-423.

Galloway, W. E., 2001, Cenozoic evolution of sediment accumulation in deltaic and shore-zone depositional systems, Northern Gulf of Mexico basin: Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 18, p. 1031-1040.

Galloway, W. E., Ganey-Curry, P., Li, X., and Buffler, R. T., 2000, Cenozoic depositional evolution of the Gulf of Mexico Basin, AAPG Bulletin, v. 84, p. 1743--1775.

Galloway, W. E., Buffler, R. T., Li, Xiang, and Ganey-Curry, Patricia, 1998, Gulf of Mexico Basin depositional synthesis: Neogene sequences, depositional systems, and paleogeographic evolution: Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Transactions, v. 48, p. 83-88.

For further information contact the Project Manager:
Patricia E. Ganey-Curry
Phone: (512) 471-0408
Fax:    (512) 471-8844
email:  patty@ig.utexas.edu