Natural Hydrocarbon Seepage in the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

This paper was prepared for the Second Biennial Evangeline Section Regional Meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME on Environmental Quality, to be held in Lafayette, La., Nov. 13–14, 1972. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Illustrations may not be copied. The abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper is presented. Publication elsewhere after publication in the JOURNAL OF presented. Publication elsewhere after publication in the JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or the SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL is PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or the SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL is usually granted upon request to the Editor of the appropriate journal provided agreement to give proper credit is made. provided agreement to give proper credit is made. Discussion of this paper is invited. Three copies of any discussion should be sent to the Society of Petroleum Engineers office. Such discussion may be presented at the above meeting and, with the paper, may be considered for publication in one of the two SPE magazines. Abstract The Dept. of Oceanography of Texas A and M U. has been studying natural hydrocarbon seeps in the Gulf of Mexico for the past 2 years in cooperation with 11 oil companies (Arco, Chevron Cities Service, Conoco, Gulf, Humble, Marathon, Mobil, Phillips, Sun and Tenneco) and the Sea Grant program of NOAA. Archaeological reports indicate that the Karankawa Indians were using tar in their pottery making in pre-Columbian times. pottery making in pre-Columbian times. Survivors of DeSoto's group used tar found along the Texas-Louisiana coast to caulk their boats. From 1902 to 1909 heavy oil slicks were noted in an area about 100 miles south of the Louisiana coast. Oil spouting into the air was reported in the same area in 1909. Oil ponds off the Sabine area are reported in a USGS publication in 1903. publication in 1903.Reports of seeps in the Gulf are numerous, and the Department's study has located several general areas of seepage within and around the Gulf of Mexico. Samples from these areas have been collected and analyzed, as have samples found floating in the Gulf. The geological and geophysical characteristics of the sites are being investigated together with pertinent chemical, biological and physical oceanographic characteristics. A physical oceanographic characteristics. A current study was initiated to determine the circulation patterns of the hydrocarbons along the continental shelf. The impact upon the environment in all of its aspects is also being studied. Introduction The Dept. of Oceanography at Texas A and M U., since the fall of 1970, has been engaged in a project to study hydrocarbon seepage within the project to study hydrocarbon seepage within the Gulf of Mexico and its perimeter (Fig. 1). This project is currently being funded by 11 major oil companies and the National Sea Grant program of NOAA. HISTORICAL EVIDENCE The Karankawa Indians used asphalt in their pottery making and in hefting their arrows as pottery making and in hefting their arrows as far back as pre-Columbian times. According to DeGolyer, Oviedo referred to asphalt in the New World in 1533, and Sebastian Ocampo found liquid bitumen in the Bay of Havana, Cuba, in 1508. Survivors of DeSoto's ill-fated expedition used tar found on the Texas-Louisiana coast to caulk their boats. Kennedy (1841) reported tar on the Galveston beaches. In the early 1900's the Hydrographic Office in New Orleans supplied all ships crossing the Gulf of Mexico with current reporting forms.

First Insights into Population Structure and Genetic Diversity Versus Host Specificity in Trypanorhynch Tapeworms Using Multiplexed Shotgun Genotyping

“…This pattern is intriguing considering studies for a wide range of marine taxa document phylogeographic breaks between populations in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic ( Avise 1992 ; Neigel 2009 ). Further perplexing is that the three localities in question are all connected by the strong oceanic Loop Current ( Geyer et al 2020 ) which has the potential to disperse eggs of R. megacantha (the only free-living stage of the life cycle) between these localities, and so maintain genetic homogeneity between all three subpopulations.…”

Analysis and Evaluation of Alternative Concepts in Modeling Tarmats To Conform to Laboratory Investigations and Field Conditions

“…A summary of the properties of some soft to sticky tar samples is provided in Ref. 3. The density of the samples varies from 0.93 to 1.04 g/cm 3 .…”

Reassessment of the Rates at which Oil from Natural Sources Enters the marine environment

“…But oceanic tar has multiple sources with pollution from oil transportation systems being a prime suspect (Wong et al, 1973;Butler et al, 1973;Jeffrey et al, 1974;Sleeter et al, 1976;Levy & Walton, 1976;Shekel & Ravid, 1977). However, others (Koons & Monaghan, 1973;Geyer & Sweet, 1973;Sweet, 1974;Geyer & Giammona, 1980;Geyer, 1981) argue that, at least for the Gulf of Mexico, the oceanic tar is mostly from natural oil seeps, although the exact locations of most of these seeps are difficult to identify. Ocean tars provide evidence for seeps but they are difficult to use in estimating natural seepage rates.…”