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Geology News
Gulf of Mexico Current Events

In the 1990’s Congress gave oil and gas companies relief from certain Gulf of Mexico royalties in the Deep Water Royalty Relief Act. The Interior Department tried to collect, Anadarko Petroleum challenged, the Supreme Court declined the appeal.

Devon Energy reports that Chinese companies are interested in joint ventures with them on Gulf of Mexico oil and gas projects.

Scientists towing a net more than 1500 feet below the surface caught a 19.5 foot-long giant squid in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. This is the first giant squid seen in the Gulf since 1954.

By the end of 2011, Halliburton expects to have 46 more deepwater drilling rigs on duty to service projects in Brazil, West Africa, Pacific Asia and the Gulf of Mexico.

BP Exploration and Halliburton Deepwater set a new record for the greatest production from a well in the Gulf of Mexico. Their well produced 47,000 BOEPD compared to the previous record of 43,000 BOEPD.

Some oil industry experts believe that BP’s announcement of a “giant oil discovery” in the Gulf of Mexico may yield an increased interest in exploration in that basin, which many believed had been thoroughly explored.

BP announced what they call a “giant oil discovery” in one of the deepest wells ever drilled by the oil and gas industry (35,055 feet). The well was drilled in 4,132 feet of water at a location in the Gulf of Mexico about 250 miles southeast of Houston. The well found oil in multiple Lower Tertiary rock units.

So far this season there has been a low level of tropical storm activity in the Atlantic Ocean. The forecasters at Colorado State University have reduced their expected number of Atlantic hurricanes to just four.

Spring nutrient delivery to the northern Gulf of Mexico is among the highest measured by the U.S. Geological Survey in thirty years. Excessive nutrients can be harmful by decreasing the amount of oxygen in the water, also known as hypoxia. This can result in an area experiencing stress or death of near or bottom dwelling organisms called a hypoxic zone, or “dead zone.”

Rigzone has an article about the recent gas hydrates assessment done in the Gulf of Mexico.

From USGS: “The U.S. Gulf of Mexico contains very thick and concentrated gas-hydrate-bearing reservoir rocks which have the potential to produce gas using current technology. Recent drilling by a government and industry consortium confirm that the Gulf of Mexico is the first offshore area in the United States with enough information to identify gas hydrate energy resource targets with potential for gas production.”

Oil companies working in the Gulf of Mexico pay close attention to hurricanes. This hurricane season Shell and Chevron will be tweeting hurricane updates that call followers to detailed information posted on their websites.

A promising natural gas hydrate deposit has been found in the Gulf of Mexico. This deposit differs from others – it is in a sand reservoir which might make it producible by conventional methods.

An article on the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute website explores seafloor oil seeps. The image below is from NASA’s Earth Observatory and shows slicks from natural seeps in the Gulf of Mexico.

An interesting article in the Wall Street Journal describes how British Petroleum is using some of their deep water platforms in the Gulf of Mexico as central facilities for satellite fields which are twenty or more miles away.

A release from the Minerals Management Service…. “Gulf of Mexico oil production is forecasted to increase substantially over the next several years, possibly reaching 1.8 million barrels of oil per day. Gas production is forecasted to continue its decline over the next four years due to aging projects in shallow water.”

Sediment laden waters from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers roil the Gulf of Mexico in this satellite image from NASA’s Earth Observatory.

Last month the Department of Interior failed to honor exploration leases on Utah oil and gas parcels that were won in a December lease sale. Many natural resource companies spent a lot of time preparing to bid in that sale. On March 18th important Gulf of Mexico leases will be up for bid in another DOI sale. A lot more than oil and gas properties are at stake in this sale.

Oil spills caused by humans almost always make big headlines but did you know that natural seeps contribute significant amounts of oil to the environment? Here is a pair of satellite images from NASA’s Earth Observatory that illustrate natural oil seeps.

The Mexican state-owned oil company, Pemex, is investing to boost production in several areas. One is a plan to have deepwater oil production from the Gulf of Mexico by 2015.

Rigzone.com has an interesting article that highlights some of the top oil and gas discoveries of 2008. Most of them are offshore and a couple are in ultradeep water. Discoveries in the Brazil offshore, Gulf of Mexico, offshore Philippines, offshore Angola, North Sea, and Australia’s Northwest shelf are featured.

Tremendous numbers of stinging jellyfish are swarming at many important fisheries and tourist destinations. Swarms have been reported at Hawaii, the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. east coast, Bering Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Australia, Black Sea, Sea of Japan, North Sea and Namibia.

Royal Dutch Shell set a new offshore record by successfully completing an oil and gas well in 9,356 feet of water. The well was in the Silvertip Field of the Gulf of Mexico about 200 miles south of Freeport. Deep water wells like this one can cost over $100 million.

“Researchers are homing in on the hurricane-prone Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea to assess the likely changes, between now and the middle of the century, in the frequency, intensity, and tracks of these powerful storms. Initial results are expected early next year.” Quoted from the NSF release.

MapResources

Brian Romans has an interesting post titled: “150 years of changes of the Chandeleur barrier islands”. (The Chandeleur Islands are located in the Gulf of Mexico, northeast of the Mississippi Delta.

“Natural gas spot prices in the Lower 48 States this report week declined to their lowest levels this year even as disruptions in offshore Gulf of Mexico production continue in the aftermath of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav. During the report week, the Henry Hub spot price decreased $0.83 per million Btu (MMBtu) to $6.58.” Quoted from the Energy Information Administration release.

High Island, Texas is a community in Galveston County, Texas, located on the eastern end of the Bolivar Peninsula. With an elevation of 38 feet, it is the highest point along the Gulf of Mexico. The area is elevated because of a salt dome below. Earth Observatory has a pair of images showing the area before and after Hurricane Ike.

Bolivar Peninsula: Before and after oblique aerial photos.

“Spring nutrient delivery from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin to the northern Gulf of Mexico is estimated to be among the highest in the last three decades. Nutrient delivery, particularly during the months of April through June, has been identified as one of the primary factors controlling the size of the hypoxic zone that forms during the summer in the northern Gulf of Mexico.” Quoted from the USGS release.

Hurricane Ike is in the Atlantic Ocean moving slowly west. It is expected to track north of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic late this week. The National Hurricane Center publishes update track maps for this storm. Oil traders are worried that it could enter the Gulf of Mexico.

A Reuters article on Hurricane Ike.

Tropical Storm Edouard formed in the Gulf of Mexico a few hundred miles off the US Gulf Coast. It is now tracking towards the shoreline of Texas and southwest Louisiana where it is expected to make landfall early Tuesday. It could intensify to hurricane strength before it makes landfall.

National Hurricane Center Data for Edouard.