f Frontier Exploration on the Abyssal Plain of the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico - Syn-Rift through Passive Stage Mesozoic Objectives Identified

1004 FRONTIER EXPLORATION ON THE ABYSSAL PLAIN OF THE DEEPWATER GULF OF MEXICO - SYN-RIFT THROUGH PASSIVE STAGE MESOZOIC OBJECTIVES IDENTIFIED 1 MICHAEL J. ROBERTS and SEAMUS G. REILLY Chevron North America Exploration and Production Co 935 Gravier Street New Orleans LA 70112 USA The abyssal plain of the Gulf Of Mexico (GOM) defined here as areas basinward of the Mississippi Fan and Perdido Foldbelts has been described as a featureless plain devoid of significant structuring and underlain by oceanic crust. A regional examination of the province cast doubt on this benign history and revealed a complex structural province with