Comparison Between Two Adjacent Salt Domes of Different Geomorphology in the Gulf of Mexico
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Date
2022-05
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
The northern continental slope of the Gulf of Mexico has a unique bumpy topography as
result from salt dome formations in the subsurface of the basin. The Upper Jurassic Louann Salt
laying underneath the younger sediments deposited from the North American continent flow due
to differential loading and gravity caused sediments deformation to occur in response to the
movement affect its texture and topography seen on the seafloor. In this study, 3D seismic
profiles and high-resolution deep-water bathymetry data of two adjacent salt domes in the gulf
area was analyzed to study the geological processes that occurred in the subsurface and its effect
on the domes' external texture. It was found that brittle deformation caused rough texture, as the
sediments were moved away from the intruding salt, whereas ductile deformation made caused
the dome to have smooth external surface since that the sediments bend and fold following the
shape of the intrusion instead of breaking apart.
Description
Keywords
salt domes, Gulf of Mexico, geomorphology