WELLLOGFACIESDEFINITIONANDDEPOSITIONALINTERPRETATIONGulfofMexicoBasin

DEPOSITIONAL
SYSTEMAND INTERPRETATION OCCURRENCE FACIES
REPRESENTATIVELOGPATTERNS LITHOFACIESDESCRIPTION
FACIES INBASIN ASSOCIATION
ASSOCIATIONS
Majorfluvial
systemssource
deltaic
depocenters.Bed
loadsystems
occurprimarilyin
Fluvial
Aggradationalfaciessuccession. theN.W.Gulf,Rio
A.Bedload Constructional Grande
dominated Sand(A)tomud(C)dominated,heterolithicsuccession alluvial andBurgos
containingdiscontinuoussandbodies. plainsuccession basins.Major
B.Mixedload landward fluvialsystems
dominated Sharpbasal,variablysharp(A)totransitional,upwardfining ofdeltaorshore source fblfmlfsl
(B,C)uppercontacts. zone deltaic
C.Suspended depocenters.Bed
system.
load Laterallydiscontinuouslithofacies. load

dominated systemsoccur
primarilyin
theN.W.Gulf,Rio
Grande
andBurgos
basins.

Delta Progradationalfaciessuccession. Majorfluvial

dominated
Fluvial Heterolithiccomposition. Majordeltasystem deltasare
dominated Upwardcoarsening,lenticular, progradingacross prominent
shelfplatform(A)or intheS.
A.Platformdelta discontinuoussandbodies directlyontothe Louisiana, dfpdfsm
overlyingprodeltamud.
continentalslope(B). Houstonand
B.Shelfmargin Digitate,laterallydiscontinuous Macuspana
delta sandbodies. depocenters .

Progradationalfaciessuccession. Majordelta
Delta Majordeltasystem system
Sandrich. progradingacross progradingacross
Wavedominated shelf shelf
Upwardcoarseningtomassivedeltamarginsandbodies
A.Platformdelta overlying platform(A)or platform(A)or
prodeltamud. directly directly dwpdwsm
B.Shelfmargin ontothecontinental ontothe
delta Tabulartolobate,laterally slope(B). continental
continuoussandbodies. slope(B).

 Constructional
shorelines
Progradationaltoaggradational suppliedby
faciessuccessions. longshore
Thickshorezone
reworkingfrommajor
Sandrich. systems
deltaicsystems
Shorezone occurin
Upwardcoarseningtomassive,lenticulartotabular,clean and/or
Paleogene
Wavedominated sand reworkingofnon sz
through
bodies. deltaic
MiddleMiocene
coastalplainfringes.
depisodes.
Transitionaltosharpbase Includesbarrier/
sharptop. lagoon

andstrandplain
complexes.

Shelf
Carbonate
A.Mud shelvesand
dominatedshelf Constructional rampsdominate
Aggradationaltoprogradationalblanketsandprisms. shelves theFlorida
B.Sandywave marginaltomajor andYucatan
dominatedshelf Sharptotransitionalverticalboundaries. deltasystems, margins.
Transitionallateralboundaries. fronting Relativelythick,
C.Carbonate shorezonesystems,
dominatedshelf clasticshelf smsssc
Massivetointerstratifiedlithologies. or systemsoccurin
Aggradationalto capping
Neriticfaunas. Paleogene
progradational transgressive
Miocene
blanketsand coastalsuccessions. depisodesalong
prisms. N.W.andN.C.

Gulfmargins

Offlappingsuccessionofsandytomuddyturbiditeand
Slope debrisflowdeposits. Constructional
Upwardshoalingsuccessionwithbathyalfaunas. continental
Progradational Frontmajordelta
marginprimarily
deltafedapron depocentersofN.,
Discontinuous,sharpto supplied
N.W. sbpsdsbpmd
transitionallyboundedsandbodies. byasuperjacent
A.Sandy andS.W.Gulf.
shelfmargindelta
Abundantsyndepositionalfaults.
complex.

B.Muddy
Cappedbydeltasystemfacies.

 Frontmajorshelf
Offlappingsuccessionofsandytomuddyturbiditeand and
Slope
debrisflowdeposits. Constructional shorezone
Progradational continental depositional
Upwardshoalingsuccessionwithbathyalfaunas. marginprimarily systemtractsof
shelffedapron
Discontinuous,sharpto supplied theN.W. sbpsssbpms
A.Sandy transitionallyboundedsandbodies. byasuperjacent andN.C.Gulf
shelf. Paleogene
B.Muddy Cappedbyshelfsystemfacies. Miocene

depisodes.

Onlappingsuccessionofmuddytosandyturbidite,debris Destructionalsandy
Locallyprominent
Slope flowand to
slumpdeposits. within
heterolithic
Sandy OF,PGa,and
continental
retrogradational Upwarddeepeningandfiningsuccessionwithbathyalor PAB sbras
mixedfaunas. marginundergoing
slopeapron depisodes.
longtermmass

Heterolithicinterbedded,discontinuousfaciesassociation. wasting.

Slope Locallyprominent
Onlappingsuccessionofmuddydebrisflowandslump Destructionalmuddy
within
Muddy deposits. continentalmargin
OF,PGa,and
retrogradational undergoinglongterm sbram
Upwarddeepeningpaleobathymetry PAB
slopeapron masswasting.
depisodes.

Largescalefocused
masswastingand
 Laterallyboundedbydeeplyincisederosionsurface. submarineerosion Locallyprominent
creatingacanyon, inthe
Dominantlymudfillwith whichsubsequently
lenticulartolobateturbidite earlyPaleogene
Slope fills depisodes
channelandlobesandbodiesanddiscontinuous withonlappingdebris
Submarine heterolithicslump oftheW.,N.W.
flowandturbidite andC.Gulf sbsc
canyonfill anddebrisflowdeposits. depositscappedby andinthePS
an
Cappedbyprogradational depisodeof
upperslopemudandsandy offlapping theN.C.Gulf.
shelfordeltaicfacies. successionof
shelforprodelta
sediment.

Subregionalfailureof
upper
slopeandshelf
margin
creatingan
embaymentor
reentrantinbasin
margin.
Boundedupdipatbasebyslideplane. Slideblocksand
incompletely Locallyprominent
Slopetobasin Rotatedfaultblockstochaotic
evacuated within
debrisapron.
debrisflowform OF,PGa,PAB
Megaslide sbms
Upperprogradationalfaciessuccessionoverliesmiddle basalfill. andPTA
complex
muddyunitturbiditeandsandydebrisflowdepositsand/or Turbiditesand depisodes.

disarticulatedblocksofupperslope,shelfmargindeltaor smaller
othershallowfaciesconcentratedinlowerpartofwedge. debrisflowsscour
andpond
betweenthese.
Prograding
muddyslopeapron
deposits
healtheembayment.

Basinfloor
Depositiononbasin
A.Basinalmud Transitionaltosharpupper
boundary. floorby Pentratedonlyby
B.Sandrich lowtohighdensity deep
submarinefan Sharplowerboundariesonsand turbidity wellsintheN.E.
Mudmudwith bodies. currentsandfluidal andN.C. bsbsf
interbedded debris Gulfmargin.
Bathyalfaunas. flows.
sand
andmudunits.