1. Houston Geological Society Academic Liaison Committee 1 HGS Academic Liaison Presentation Archives Extreme Paleocene - Eocene Sea Level Fluctuation(s) in the Gulf of Mexico: A Hypothesis Part IIIc: Effects of Re-connection Josh Rosenfeld and Jim Pindell Cerro Azul #4 blow-out, Veracruz, Mexico February 1916

2. Houston Geological Society Academic Liaison Committee 2 Sierra de Chiapas – El Bosque Fm.

3. Houston Geological Society Academic Liaison Committee 3 “Eocene” Unconformity - Veracruz Foldbelt

4. Houston Geological Society Academic Liaison Committee 4 Sierra de Chiapas – El Bosque Fm.

5. Houston Geological Society Academic Liaison Committee 5 Sierra de Chiapas – El Bosque Fm.

6. Houston Geological Society Academic Liaison Committee 6 Sierra de Chiapas – El Bosque Fm.

7. Houston Geological Society Academic Liaison Committee 7 What about Eocene salt (?) Evaporation > 90% required to precipitate salt. (carbonates/gypsum volumetrically minor) NaCl in sea water ~ 35,000 ppm by weight. Total evaporation of a 3000 meter seawater column yields ± 48 meters of halite. Thick salt deposits require renewed seawater influx. It is unlikely that salt accumulated, except perhaps in the central Gulf. Any thin salt deposits would have been subject to dissolution upon refilling of Gulf.

8. Houston Geological Society Academic Liaison Committee 8 Lower Tertiary Source Rocks

9. Houston Geological Society Academic Liaison Committee 9 Lower Tertiary Source Rocks; in Point Coupe and St Landry Parishes, LA Data From Sassen and Chinn, 1990 Fm. Age Depth Range TOC% HI____ Sparta M. Eocene 11,163 – 11,526 1.3 – 8.1 198-843 (4 wells) Wilcox L. Eocene 13,137 – 14,276 1.5 – 5.2 134-364 (3 wells)

10. Houston Geological Society Academic Liaison Committee 10 Lower Tertiary Source Rocks in the Amoco MC-84 Well From Wagner, Sofer and Claxton, 1994 Hyper-saline or Condensed Section?? DepthTOC%HIAmorph. Ker.% 14,645’3.0554160 14,650’2.6946860 14,810’3.3053690

11. Houston Geological Society Academic Liaison Committee 11 Some Conclusions There was at least one major G.O.M. drawdown in the Early Eocene. There is a large paleocanyon under the Rio Grande in the Vicksburg Embayment. Wilcox sands should be widespread in the deep Gulf…(Deltaic? Neritic?) Everyone is invited to play!!!