'Deep Shelf' Drilling
The Gulf of Mexico
With petroleum production declining in the shallower fields of the Gulf of Mexico, exploration in recent years has focused on the “deep shelf” where water depths are greater than 4000 feet and total drilling depth exceeds 15,000 feet. Combining well data from the federal government's Minerals Management Service (MMS) with the bathymetry (relief) data provided by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), one can visualize in 3-D the subsurface challenges posed by drilling in these deeper waters.
