Overpressure and fluid flow in dipping structures of the offshore Gulf of Mexico (EI 330 field)

Estimated pressures in overpressured Plio-Pleistocene muds of the Eugene Is land 330 (E.I. 330) field (offshore Louisiana) differ from pressure measure ments in adjacent sands in a consistent manner. At structural highs, fluid pressure in sand exceeds pressure in the adjacent mud; at structural lows, the relationship is reversed. Two physical models describe the origin of th ese pressure differences: rapid loading and steady-flow. Observation and th eory suggest that stratigraphic layering focuses fluid flow toward structur al highs. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.