A conceptual model for hydrocarbon accumulation and seepage processes around Chapopote asphalt site, southern Gulf of Mexico: From high resolution seismic point of view

As part of the German R/V Meteor M67/2 expedition in 2006 to the southern Gulf of Mexico, a set of 2D high resolution seismic profiles was acquired across the Chapopote knoll to study seafloor asphalt occurrences. On the basis of regional seismostratigraphic studies and DSDP drilling, a more highly reflective, coarse‐grained sediment unit of late Miocene age is identified as a potential shallow hydrocarbon reservoir. Although a unit of that age would typically be buried by Pliocene and Pleistocene sediment cover, at Chapopote, local salt tectonism has highly elevated the structure since the late Miocene, and the Miocene reservoir is locally above present‐day regional datum. The elevation resulted in a thin (100–200 m), fine grained sediment cover on the crest of the knoll above the reservoir. Because oil and gas production can be expected at depth in Jurassic, Cretaceous and Tertiary source rocks, the presence of high‐amplitude reflector packages within the reservoir unit is interpreted as an evidence of hydrocarbons. This is variously supported by observations of crosscutting reflectors, polarity reversal, and drops in instantaneous frequency. The thin seal above the reservoir unit facilitates leakage of trapped hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons apparently invaded into the seal sediments in the wider vicinity around the crest of the knoll, even extending beyond the area where seafloor asphalt is known. The asphalt site thus may be a currently active spot, while the rest of the crest may be temporarily sealed by solid phase hydrocarbons. We propose that a shallow, large reservoir with deeply sourced, relatively heavy petroleum is principally responsible for the formation of asphalts on the seafloor.