Mapping and Two-Dimensional Modeling of Basement and Smackover Topography with Filtered Gravity Data in West-Central Mississippi

The updip basement structure play has been widely successful for oil and gas operators along the northern rim of the Gulf of Mexico onshore basins. Certain areas of west-central Mississippi saw a brief period of successful exploration and production associated with this play type during the late sixties to early seventies. Because of this short lived success it is my opinion that this concept is undertested and understudied in this region. The goal of this study is to delineate basement features and Smackover hydrocarbon reservoirs, using gravity data. First, gravity data are filtered through a band pass filter and subsequently modeled, mapped and interpreted using state of the art gravity interpretation software. Second, basement and Smackover reservoirs are also mapped and interpreted using available subsurface well data. Finally, gravity and subsurface well-derived structures are correlated, and reveal that more basement features exist than were previously known in this region. The findings of this work indicate that additional potential exists for basement controlled hydrocarbon production in west-central Mississippi