Miocene Stratigraphy and Structure of Sabine Pass, West Cameron, and East Cameron Outer Continental Shelf Areas, Louisiana

Y. Yang Su, Joel S. Watkins

Mapping of Miocene stratigraphy and structure of the Sabine Pass, West Cameron, and East Cameron areas of the western Louisiana outer continental shelf--based on over 1,300 mi of seismic data on a 4-mi grid paleotops from 60 wells, and logs from 35 wells--resulted in time-structure and isochron maps at six intervals from the upper Pliocene to lower Miocene.

The most pronounced structural features are the fault systems, which trend east-northeast to east along the Miocene stratigraphic trend. Isolated normal faults with small displacements characterize the inner inner shelf, whereas interconnected faults with greater displacements characterize the outer inner shelf. The inner inner shelf faults exhibit little growth, but expansion across the interconnected outer inner shelf faults ranges up to 1 sec two-way traveltime. The interconnected faults belong to two structurally independent fault families. The innermost shelf faults appear to root in the sediment column. A third set of faults located in the Sabine Pass area trends north-south. This fault set is thought to be related to basement movement and/or basement structure.

Very little salt is evident in the area. A single diapir is located in West Cameron Block 110 and vicinity. There is little evidence of deep salt. Overall sediment thickness probably exceeds 20,000 ft, with the middle Miocene accounting for 8,000 ft.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91022©1989 AAPG Annual Convention, April 23-26, 1989, San Antonio, Texas.