Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586

www.elsevier.com/locate/marpetgeo

Paleo-bathymetric controls on the stratigraphic architecture and reservoir

development of confined fans in the Auger Basin:
central Gulf of Mexico slope
James R. Booth*, Michael C. Dean, Alvin E. DuVernay III, Michael J. Styzen
Shell International Exploration and Production, Houston, TX, USA
Received 1 September 2002; accepted 26 March 2003

Abstract
With abundant well penetrations in proximal and distal settings and 3D seismic coverage, the Auger Basin is an ideal location to study the
influence of basin setting and accommodation on the stratigraphic architecture of ancient turbidite systems. Pliocene-age turbidites at
Macaroni Field were deposited in ponded accommodation in the distal portion of a salt-bounded intraslope basin, immediately inboard of a
sediment spill point to the linked outboard basin. Deposits at Auger Field are contained within point-sourced submarine fans deposited in
healed slope accommodation in the more proximal portion of the basin on the flank of a paleo-bathymetric ridge, immediately down
depositional dip of a sediment spill point from an inboard basin. Both areas of the basin are distinct in terms of sediment dispersal patterns,
rate of sediment fill, and preservation potential of reservoir/seal pairs, and while both fields contain sand-rich deposits and record vertical
evolution from older sheet dominated- to younger channel dominated deposits over the Late Pliocene section, there are key differences in the
nature in which the fill occurs. The ponded stratigraphic section at Macaroni Field records (1) an early mud-rich phase in which incoming
flows are completely captured by confining topography, (2) a brief phase of diminished relief when high frequency fill/spill cycles occur, and
ultimately (3) a phase of incision of the former basin sill and large-scale bypass to the outboard basin. Over the same period, the healed-slope
section at Auger Field records a fill pattern consisting of alternating episodes of initial sand-rich sheet/lobe deposition followed by intervals
of channelization. We acknowledge extra-basinal controls (eustacy, climate) on the timing, rate, and nature of sediment supply to the basin,
but there is considerable evidence for paleo-bathymetric control on cyclical fill patterns observed at fourth and higher-order scales.
q 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Paleo-bathymetric control; Auger Basin; Ponded accommodation; Healed slope accommodation

1. Introduction Tromp, Ibrahim, & Allman-Ward, 2000; Normark, 1978;

The stratigraphic architecture of confined turbidite
systems within Gulf of Mexico intraslope basins has been
the subject of considerable study since the discovery of
large hydrocarbon accumulations in the Gulf of
Mexico deep water in the early 1980s (e.g. Holman &
Robertson, 1994; McGee, Bilinski, Gary, Pfeiffer, &
Scheiman, 1994; Mahaffie, 1994). One approach histori-
cally undertaken to better understand such ancient
turbidite systems has been to study the seafloor and
the near-subsurface expression of modern fan
systems (e.g. Dean, King, & Booth, 2000; Demyttenaere,
* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ 1-673-3373408.
E-mail address: jim.booth@shell.com (J.R. Booth).
0264-8172/$ - see front matter q 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2003.03.008
Normark, Piper, & Hess, 1979; Prior & Bornhold, 1988).
While these studies allow three-dimensional restorability
of depositional systems, they often lack of detailed
lithofacies calibration and have physical and temporal
scaling issues that complicate comparisons to ancient
systems (e.g. Mutti & Normark, 1987).
Recent detailed studies of intraslope turbidite systems
in the shallow subsurface on the Gulf of Mexico slope
have provided significant insights into the stratigraphic
architectures and fill processes of confined turbidite
systems within intraslope basins. These studies
include the Late Pleistocene fans in the linked intraslope
basins of the Trinity-Brazos system (e.g. Badalini,
Kneller, & Winker, 2000; Beaubouef & Friedman, 2000;
Winker, 1996) and in the shallow Auger Basin (Winker &
564 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586

Booth, 2000). These studies demonstrate stratigraphic
relationships between depositional process and accommo-
dation and document a fill/spill model for intraslope
basins. Unfortunately, however, these studies lack suffi-
cient lithofacies calibration and age control.
Another approach to better understand confined
turbidite systems is the classification and calibration of
Tertiary deepwater seismic facies in deepwater Gulf of
Mexico intraslope basins. With age control and lithofa-
cies calibration, Prather et al. (1998) relate seismic facies
to reservoir potential and highlight potential relationships
between accommodation and intraslope basin fill patterns.
Two facies assemblages spanning periods of roughly two
million years each are defined, a sand-rich ponded
seismic facies assemblage that represents a confined
style of deposition, and an overlying mud-rich bypass
facies assemblage that represents a more unconfined style
of deposition, and these facies assemblages are loosely
related to differing styles of accommodation on the slope.
Prather (2003) elaborates on the classification of
intraslope accommodation, ponded accommodation,
defined as three-dimensionally enclosed bathymetric
lows, and healed slope accommodation, defined as the
space between ponded accommodation and equilibrium
profiles associated with wedge-shaped slope deposits, and
uses forward modelling to predict fill patterns. Steffens,
Biegert, and Summer (2003) applies a three-dimensional,
quantitative approach to illustrate accommodation in four
different continental margins that include both salt- and
shale-based systems, which provides new insights into
various receiving basin configurations and the potential
impact on deepwater sedimentation patterns. With
primary emphasis at the regional-scale, however, these
studies lack the detail provided by site-studies of
turbidite systems.
Since the completion of Prather et al.’s (1998) study,
exploratory drilling at Shell’s Macaroni Field has
provided well control from the distal portion of the
Auger Basin that, when integrated with existing well data
at Auger Field (McGee et al., 1994) and 3D seismic
data, fosters a unique opportunity to examine an ancient
intraslope turbidite system within a single intraslope

Fig. 1. Location of the Auger Basin on the central Gulf of Mexico slope, roughly 100 km downdip of the middle Pliocene shelf edge. Inset map shows the
linked series of intraslope basins in the Greater Auger area. Notice the amount of Pliocene shelf edge progradation indicated by the 4.2 and 2.3 ma shelf edges.
 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586 565

basin with robust age and facies calibration and three-
dimensional restorability more typical of modern and/or
shallow subsurface studies. Furthermore, the Pliocene-age
sequences represent deposits from both healed slope
and ponded accommodation, thereby allowing us to
better assess the impact of different types of accommo-
dation on stratigraphic stacking patterns and reservoir
architectures. This study investigates the stratigraphic
architecture of this confined turbidite system, describes
cyclical stacking patterns and facies relationships
within fourth-order depositional sequences, and relates
them to the interplay between sediment supply and
accommodation.
2. Study area
2.1. Basin setting
The Auger Basin is located 350 km southwest of New
Orleans on the central Gulf of Mexico slope, 100 km from
the Late-Pliocene shelf edge (Fig. 1). Auger is the central
basin in a linked series of intraslope basins; the most inboard
referred to as the Andros basin and the most outboard the
Tampa Basin. The basin comprises an area of approximately
400 km2 bounded by salt-cored ridges on its northern,
western, and southern margins (Fig. 2A). During the
Pliocene, the Auger Basin was separated from Andros by
a counter-regional growth fault (North Auger Fault) and a
northwest plunging salt ridge (Auger salt ridge), and from
Tampa by a counter-regional fault and the southern basin-
bounding salt ridge. Both fields occupy basin margin
settings; Auger Field in the northern portion of the basin
on the western flank of the Auger salt ridge and Macaroni
Field in the southern portion of the basin on the flank of the
southern basin-bounding salt ridge, 20 km south of Auger
Field (Fig. 3).
2.2. Pliocene sediment dispersal patterns
Comparing observations between the Pliocene reservoir
section with the shallow subsurface and the seafloor
(Fig. 2B) provides considerable insight into the overall
configuration and sediment dispersal patterns in the Auger

Fig. 2. (A) Interval isochore map of the Cycle 3.7A interval showing the location of Auger and Macaroni Fields, the location of sediment entry points into the
basin (labeled NE, N, NW and W), and key structural elements influencing deposition during the Pliocene. (B) Rendering of present day bathymetry in the
Greater Auger area with locations of sediment entry and exit points indicated with arrows and labeled. Sediment dispersal patterns apparent from subsurface
data suggest that the general Pliocene basin configuration and the location of sediment entry and exit points were similar to that observed present-day. Area
shown in Fig. 2A is indicated with dashed line.
566 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586

Fig. 3. (A) Structure map from Auger Field showing position on the northeastern basin margin. Locations of key well penetrations and cross sections are posted.
The map level is from the Cycle 3.7A reservoir sand (Q-sand of McGee et al., 1994). Area shown by map is indicated on Fig. 2A. (B) Structure map from
Macaroni Field showing position on the southern basin margin. Key well penetrations and location of cross sections are posted. The map level is from a Cycle
3.6B sand (‘P2’) immediately below CS 6. Map area is shown on Fig. 2A.

Basin. Sediment dispersal patterns in the Pliocene reservoir
section link well with sediment spill points apparent from
the seafloor and patterns observed in a Late Pleistocene fan
system in the shallow subsurface of the basin, (Winker &
Booth, 2000), indicating that spill points and the overall
configuration of the basin have been relatively consistent
through time. The key differences between the present-day
basin configuration and the Pliocene are that the North
Auger Fault is buried and the northwest-plunging Auger
Salt Ridge is currently expressed as a circular, near-surface
diapir. Several sediment spill points in the basin are
apparent from the present-day seafloor, one from a
relatively large corridor to the northeast and several others
through a series of narrow constrictions between salt masses

Fig. 4. Time slices from the Pliocene section of the Auger Basin illustrating sediment dispersal patterns. ‘A’ indicates location of Auger Field, ‘M’ indicates
Macaroni, channel-forms are indicated with a ‘c’. (A) Flattened-datum timeslice 35 ms (,40 m) above CS 7 (Base Cycle 3.7A) illustrating a pair of NW–SE
oriented channels sourced from the northwestern entry point and trending along the basin’s synclinal axis. (B) Flattened-datum timeslice 27 ms (,30 m) above
CS 11 (Base Cycle 3.7B) showing channels sourced from the northern and western entry points. (C) Seismic coherency time slice at 5060 ms (Cycle 3.7B)
showing several channels related to different delivery systems exiting the basin across the salt ridge south of Macaroni. Area shown is indicated on Fig. 4B.
 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586 567

from the north, northwest and west. Channel systems
associated with at least three of the these sediment entry
points are represented on stratal timeslices in the Pliocene
reservoir section, but most clearly and consistently rep-
resented is a northwest to southeast, basin axis-trending
system sourced from the northern and northwestern entry
points (Fig. 4). Turbidite channels associated with all of the
delivery systems appear to exit the basin by spilling across
the basin-bounding salt ridge immediately south of
Macaroni Field. The northeasterly-sourced, transverse
delivery system interpreted to be the primary source for
the Auger Field reservoirs (Booth, DuVernay, Pfeiffer, &
Styzen, 2000), however, is not obvious from stratal
time slices and is delineated based on submarine fan
morphologies apparent from seismic loop-scale attributes
(Fig. 5), wellbore-calibrated lithofacies trends, and high-
resolution image log analysis.
2.3. Distribution of accommodation
Approximating the distribution of Pliocene accommo-
dation in the basin is accomplished by two means; by
making qualitative comparisons with the present-day
bathymetry and the shallow subsurface, and by using
paleo-bathymetric reconstructions restored to slope gradi-
ents ranging from 1.0 –0.58, consistent with present day
seafloor gradients in the Auger Basin and regional Gulf of
Mexico slope gradients (e.g. Prather, 2000) (Fig. 6). These

Fig. 5. Seismic loop-scale evidence for northeasterly transport model for Auger reservoir sands (A) Top-down view of seismic amplitude expression of the
Auger Field Cycle 3.7B reservoir (O-sand). The amplitudes (red, high amplitude; blue, low amplitude) illustrate a fan-shaped morphology and a radiating
sediment dispersal pattern originating from the northeastern point source (yellow arrow). The underlying salt ridge and an overlying, post-depositional salt
diapir are green. Area shown is indicated on Fig. 4B. (B) Northwest-southeast oriented profile along depositional strike at Auger Field showing distinct
mounded geometries in the Cycles 3.7B and 3.8B reservoirs. (indicated with white arrows). Condensed sections (drapes) are shown with blue lines and
numbered; erosional surfaces are shown with dashed lines. Location of profile is shown on Fig. 5A. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure
legend, the reader is referred to the web version of the article.)
568 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586

Fig. 6. Restored paleo-bathymetric profile along A –A0 shown on Fig. 2A illustrating the distribution of accommodation in the Auger Basin during the late
Pliocene (Cycle 3.7A). Macaroni Field is in ponded accommodation in the southern portion of the basin whereas Auger Field is situated clearly above ponded
accommodation as defined by the height of the spill point in the southern portion of the basin. NAF, North Auger fault.

reconstructions show two separate areas of ponded accom- the southern portion of the basin. The reconstructions also
modation during the Pliocene, downthrown to the North demonstrate that the reservoirs at Auger Field were
Auger fault and adjacent to the southern basin margin. deposited above the upper limit of ponded accommodation
Macaroni Field occupies ponded accommodation in in an area referred to as healed slope accommodation

Fig. 7. Stratigraphic hierarchy for the Auger Basin. The Pliocene-age reservoir section, which spans several eustatic cycles and contains fourteen higher-order
depositional sequences and repetitive seismic facies patterns identified from seismic data, is contained within the Ponded Seismic Facies Assemblage of Prather
et al. (1998).
 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586 569

Fig. 8. Time-stratigraphy of the Auger Basin showing the relationship between glacio-eustatic cycles and fourth-order, seismically defined depositional
sequences within the Pliocene-age reservoir section. Biostratigraphic markers present in the Auger Basin stratigraphy (NP1.78, P2, NP2.9, P3, NP3.3, NPM0)
(Styzen, 1996) used for age dating and correlating to the eustatic cycles are posted. (A) Coastal onlap curve from Haq et al., (1987) showing three eustatic
cycles. (B) Coastal onlap curve of Styzen (1996); Booth et al. (2000) showing six higher-frequency eustatic cycles (Cycles 3.6A, 3.6B, 3.7A, 3.7B, 3.8A, and
3.8B). (C) Time stratigraphic section of fourteen higher-frequency, seismically defined depositional sequences tied to the eustatic cycle charts. Sequence-
bounding condensed zones (drapes) (CS1-CS 14) are posted. Auger Field is shown on the left side of the diagram, Macaroni on the right and the locations of
reservoirs at each field within the stratigraphic section are posted. Diagonal hachured pattern represents intervals of time that are missing due to erosion,
whereas the horizontal bar pattern represents intervals of time missing due to pinch out (onlap) against basin margins. Figs. 7, 9, and 11 also relate the eustatic
cycles to the seismically defined depositional sequences.
570 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586
 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586 571

(Prather, 2003, Steffens et al., 2003) Beaubouef & Friedman
(2000) describe this same type of space as the area occupied
by perched slope fill.
3. Stratigraphic framework
3.1. Stratigraphic hierarchy
The Pliocene-age stratigraphy of the Auger Basin is
contained entirely within the ponded seismic facies
assemblage of Prather et al. (1998). The ponded seismic
facies assemblage spans three eustatic cycles of Haq,
Hardenbol, and Vail (1987), six eustatic cycles of Styzen
(1996), and contains fourteen seismically defined deposi-
tional sequences. Many of the depositional sequences
contain repetitive seismic facies successions (loopsets)
that represent alternation between basal sheet/lobes and
overlying channel complexes (Fig. 7).
3.2. Correlation to eustatic cycles
The stratigraphic interval of interest spans 2.2 million
years of the Pliocene (Fig. 8). Numerous biostratigraphic
markers provide age calibration and correlation to global
eustacy. Haq et al., (1987) identify three eustatic cycles in
this interval, Cycle 3.6, 3.7, and 3.8 that range in duration
from 610,000 to 820,000 years. Based upon paleo-climatic
data from microfossil assemblages and coastal onlap curves,
Haq’s sequences have been subdivided into six higher
frequency cycles (Cycles 3.6A, 3.6B, 3.7A, 3.7B, 3.8A, and
3.8B) (Styzen, 1996; Booth et al., 2000). Cycles 3.6B and
3.7B are the shortest, with durations of 210,000 and 250,000
years respectively, while Cycle 3.7A is the longest at
680,000 years. Cycles 3.6A, 3.8A, 3.8B have respective
durations of 310,000, 420,000, and 360,000 years. Fourteen
seismically defined depositional sequences, repetitive
seismic facies stacking patterns (loopsets), and reservoir-
scale, sheet-to-channel stacking patterns suggest there is
considerable evidence for higher frequency cyclicity super-
posed upon these eustatic cycles.
3.3. Fourth-order depositional sequences
Fourteen fourth-order depositional sequences are ident-
ified from seismic reflection data (Fig. 9). The thickness of
individual sequences varies from roughly 150 – 300 m in the
basin center to 50 – 125 m in well penetration on the basin
flanks. Highly continuous, draping seismic reflections
(Prather et al., 1998, Facies ‘D’) that in many cases correlate
to biostratigraphic markers and/or faunal abundance zones
form the upper boundary of each depositional sequence. All
of the identified drapes are numbered sequentially from
oldest (CS 1) to youngest (CS 14) and depositional sequences
are assigned the number of the upper bounding drape (i.e.
‘Sequence 70 is bound by ‘CS 7’). Six of the draping
reflections, CS 4, CS 7, CS 11, CS 12, CS 13, CS 14, correlate
to age-dated biostratigraphic markers, providing reference
points for correlation to the eustatic cycle charts. The oldest
reservoir in the basin occurs at Auger Field immediately
above the unconformity in Sequence 3 and the youngest
occurs in Sequence 14. An angular unconformity interpreted
to mark the timing of uplift of the Auger ridge and the
formation of the northeastern basin margin truncates
Sequences 1 and 2 at Auger Field.
Durations of the depositional sequences vary, with higher
frequency depositional sequences occurring in the deeper
stratigraphy of Cycles 3.6A, 3.6B and 3.7A (Fig. 8). The
highest frequency depositional sequences occur within
Cycle 3.6B, where three sequences suggest average
durations of roughly 70,000 years. Cycle 3.7A contains
four depositional sequences, suggesting average durations
of 170,000 years each. Cycles 3.7B, 3.8A and 3.8B contain
only one depositional sequence each. Durations are 250,000
years in Cycle 3.7B, 420,000 years in Cycle 3.8B, and
360,000 years in Cycle 3.8B.
3.4. Seismic facies
The fourth-order depositional sequences contain three
distinct types of seismic facies (1) continuous onlapping
facies (Cbh of Prather, 2000), (2) discontinuous to chaotic,
and/or wavy to transparent facies (Bl and Bh of Prather et al.,
1998; hereafter referred to simply as chaotic facies) and (3)
draping facies (D) of Prather et al., 1998) (Fig. 9). The
continuous onlapping facies, which Prather et al., 1998
recognize as the most sand prone seismic facies studied in
the Gulf of Mexico intraslope basins, forms the primary
reservoirs in the Auger Basin. Four of the five reservoirs at
Auger Field occur within onlap facies and four of six at
Macaroni Field. The remaining three reservoirs, two at
Macaroni and one at Auger Field, occur within chaotic
facies. At both Auger and Macaroni Fields, onlapping facies
consists of layered and amalgamated turbidite sheet/lobes
and highly amalgamated channel-fill sands deposited from
high-density turbidity currents. The chaotic facies contain

Fig. 9. (A) North –south oriented cross-section B –A0 showing fourteen depositional sequences and seismic facies interpretations between Auger and Macaroni
Fields. Onlap-fill facies are colored yellow, erosional chaotic facies colored orange and draping facies (condensed sections) colored gray and numbered.
Location of profile is shown in Fig. 2A. (BC) GR and resistivity logs from Auger and Macaroni Fields illustrating major reservoir sands, biostratigraphic
markers, key seismic stratigraphic surfaces and seismic facies ties, and reservoir architectures. Location of reservoirs and correlations to eustatic cycles from
Fig. 8 are shown. AS, amalgamated sheet; LS, layered sheet; AC, amalgamated channels; C, isolated channels; CO, channel overbank; DB, debrite/mass flow.
(For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of the article.)
572 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586

variable lithologies interpreted to represent deposits from
two distinct types of sediment gravity flows; (1) cohesive,
generally mud-dominated mass-transport complexes (e.g.
Beaubouef & Friedman, 2000; Prather et al., 1998; Winker,
1996; Winker & Booth, 2000) and (2) erosive channel
complexes which are oftentimes muddy, but frequently
contain laterally discontinuous, sand-rich channel fills and
overbank deposits (Booth et al., 2000; Prather et al., 1998).
Distinguishing between the two types of chaotic deposits is
oftentimes difficult, particularly on 2-D seismic data.
Indeed, some of the chaotic facies in the Auger Basin that
do not display clear channel morphologies on seismic
profiles show channel form geometries on 3-D seismic time
slices.
A notable aspect of the seismic facies architecture is that
the three types of seismic facies commonly occur in cyclical
patterns consisting of basal onlapping facies overlain and
partially eroded by chaotic facies. Similar patterns occur in
the linked intraslope basins of the Late Pleistocene Trinity-
Brazos fan system (Badalini et al., 2000; Beaubouef &
Friedman, 2000; Winker, 1996). The magnitude of erosional
downcutting by chaotic facies in the Auger Basin is greatest
nearest the sediment spill points with the locus of erosion
stepping basinward through time, initially apparent in the
oldest sequences (pre-CS 7) near the northeastern sediment
entry point in the updip portion of Auger Field, then
apparent in the younger sequences (post CS 7) at Macaroni
near the spill point to the outboard Tampa Basin (Fig. 9).
4. Depositional models
The reservoirs at Auger and Macaroni Fields occupy
different types of accommodation in the basin and
consequently have distinctly different depositional models
that are described in detail by Booth et al. (2000) (Fig. 10).
Reservoirs at Macaroni Field were deposited within line-
sourced submarine fans in ponded accommodation against
the southern basin margin. A counter-regional (down-to-the
north) fault and the southern basin-bounding salt ridge form

Fig. 10. (A) Late Pliocene paleogeographic map of the Greater Auger Basin illustrating point-sourced fans at Auger Field, and ponded fans downthrown to the
North Auger Fault, northeast of the Auger Ridge, and at Macaroni Field. The large, NW–SE trending channel system is obvious on seismic time slices (Fig.
4A) and was pervasive throughout deposition of the reservoir section at Auger Field. (B) Block diagram illustrating a view from the southwest of the point-
sourced fan model for Auger Field. Notice that the NW– SE trending channel system trends along the synclinal axis and is basinward of Auger Field and does
not influence deposition of the sand-rich reservoirs. (C) Block diagram illustrating a view from the north of the line-sourced fan model for the Macaroni
reservoirs. Fill occurred against a counter-regional fault system before spilling into the outboard basin.
 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586
critical bathymetric elements influencing deposition by
controlling the amount of ponded accommodation in the
basin. Conversely, reservoirs at Auger Field were deposited
within point-sourced submarine fans on the western flank of
the Auger paleo-ridge, sourced by the northeastern entry
point from the inboard Andros Basin. The salt ridge and the
north Auger Fault form significant elements affecting paleo-
bathymetric gradients and influencing deposition.
5. Reservoir architectures and stacking patterns
Eleven reservoir seal pairs, six at Macaroni and five at
Auger, are present in the Pliocene age stratigraphy in
the Auger Basin (Fig. 11). The high degree of stratigraphic
discordance in the basin related to onlap at basin margins
and erosional truncation results in only the Cycle 3.7A
reservoir common to both Auger and Macaroni Fields. The
remaining reservoirs either onlap or are truncated basinward
of the well penetrations on the opposing basin margin. Both
fields evolve from oldest to youngest from sheet sand
dominated to more channel dominated. Both fields also
show cyclical alternation between basal sheet sands and
overlying channels at fourth and higher order scales.
5.1. Macaroni field
The reservoirs at Macaroni Field are sheet/lobes,
amalgamated channel-fills, and overbank deposits
(Fig. 12). The section evolves upward from mud-rich
Fig. 11. Cross section illustrating distribution of lithofacies between Auger and Macaroni Fields. Notice the high degree of stratigraphic discordance in the
basin related to onlap and erosional truncation at basin margins that results in only the Cycle 3.7A reservoir common to both Auger and Macaroni Fields.
573
onlap facies in Cycle 3.6A to sand-rich onlap facies in
Cycles 3.6B, to mixed deposits within erosional chaotic
seismic facies in the post Cycle 3.6B section. Six reservoir/
seal pairs occur at Macaroni Field and are contained entirely
within Cycles 3.6B and 3.7A. The sandiest reservoirs are
stacked sheet and channel fill sands within the Cycle 3.6B
interval (Sequences 5, 6 and 7). All sands within this
interval thin and pinch out southward against a syndeposi-
tional counter-regional fault situated immediately inboard
(north) of the sediment spill point to the outboard Tampa
Basin. Sequences 5 and 6 contains high-frequency sheet-to-
channel stacking patterns that consist of (1) basal layered
sheets overlain by (2) amalgamated sheets and capped by
(3) amalgamated and/or isolated channels (Fig. 13). The
sheet sand in Sequence 5 is roughly 60 m thick, consisting
of several stacked members in a funnel-shaped, coarsening
upward log motif and is best developed in the downdip wells
along the eastern basin margin. Overlying channel-fill sands
range in thickness from 5 to 12 m, consisting of sand-rich
channel-axis deposits in the #2 well and layered channel-
margin deposits in the nearest wells roughly 500 m west and
1000 m east. Channel form geometries are not apparent at
the seismic scale. The overlying sheet sand in Sequence 6
ranges in thickness from 30 to 40 m and has a funnel-
shaped, coarsening and thickening-upward log motif. An
overlying channel fill complex truncates the Sequence 6
sheet sand in the eastern portion of the Field. The channel
fills within the overlying channel complex are muddier
relative to Sequence 5, but are more laterally correlative.
Sequence 7 contains only a thinly bedded channel/overbank
574 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586

Fig. 12. (A) Dip profile through Macaroni Field illustrating depositional sequences and seismic facies interpretations. Notice the vertical evolution of fill from
an older section (pre- CS 8) containing southward-thinning onlap facies to a younger section containing southward thickening erosional channel complexes.
Area shown is indicated on the cross section in Fig. 9. (B) Stratigraphic cross-section through Macaroni Field. The location of the cross section is shown on
Fig. 3B. AS, amalgamated sheet; LS, layered sheet; AC, amalgamated channels; C, isolated channels; CO ¼ channel overbank; DB, debrite/mass flow.
 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586
Fig. 13. GR log from the Cycle 3.6B interval at Macaroni Field illustrating
stacked sheet-channel successions representing cyclical ‘fill/spill’ cycles.
Amalgamated and layered sheet sands (AS, LS) represent ponded fill during
which deposition is constrained by the outboard sill, whereas amalgamated
channels, channels, and channel/overbank deposits (AC, C, C/O) represent
‘spill’ phases of deposition during which sediment is spilling over the sill
into the outboard basin. The stacked reservoirs record three distinct cycles
of ponding and spill over a 170,000-year period.
reservoir in well penetrations. Seismic reflection data
indicates that sheet sands may be present in the lower
portion of the sequence, but onlap the basin margin north of
the field (see Fig. 11). The Sequence 7 sand is thickest in the
eastern portion of the field where it appears to fill in remnant
accommodation above the underlying scour in Sequence 6
(Fig. 12B). Conventional core recovered from the Sequence
6 sheet sand contains very fine to fine-grained sand with a
predominantly massive (Ta) internal fabric whereas core in
the channel/overbank sand in Sequence 7 sand is finer-
grained and more thinly-bedded than the sheet sand and
contains an abundance of parallel (Tb) and ripple lami-
nations (Tc) (Fig. 14).
Cycle 3.7A at Macaroni Field contains three fining-
upward sands within Sequence 8 and a thick sequence of
channelized sands within erosional channel complexes in
Sequences 9 and 10 (Fig. 12). The Sequence 8 sands,
interpreted as mixed sheet/lobe and channel/overbank
deposits, are 10 –30 m thick and have excellent lateral
continuity. A thick erosive channel complex truncates
Sequence 8 to the south and incises progressively deeper
575
southward towards the spill point to the outboard Tampa
Basin. The channel complex appears to erode or bury the
counter-regional fault controlling the updip limit of
the underlying sands. Sand thickness and log motifs within
the erosive channel complexes are not consistent from well
to well, as both the entire complex and individual sands
thicken considerably and increase in sand percent toward
the sediment spill point. Distinct thickening and coarsening-
upward patterns are apparent in the well closest to the spill
point. For the most part, the post Cycle 3.7A stratigraphic
section at Macaroni Field is muddy and dominated by
vertically amalgamated erosional channel and/or mass flow
complexes with the exception of an onlap package in
Sequence 13 containing sheet sands (Fig. 9).
5.2. Auger field
The stratigraphy at Auger Field contains alternating
intervals of (1) sand-rich submarine fan deposits within
onlap facies, (2) intervening erosional channel complexes
and/or mass transport complexes within chaotic facies and
(3) hemipelagic drapes (Fig. 15). Four out of the five
reservoir/seal pairs correlate with onlap seismic facies in
glacio-eustatic Cycles 3.6A, 3.7A, 3.7B and 3.8B, whereas
the remaining reservoir correlates with chaotic seismic
facies in Cycle 3.6B. In general, sheet sands thin updip
before onlapping the base of slope adjacent to the ridge
whereas channelized sands in many cases increase in sand
percent and thicken updip. Considerable expansion of the
section and improvement sand percent occurs downthrown
to the North Auger Fault, and channelized intervals in
general are less erosive than in the upthrown area, allowing
better preservation of sands and overlying drapes (Fig. 16A).
Conversely, the reservoir section at Auger Field is
muddier and considerably more channelized and/or mass
flow-dominated along strike in the southern portion of the
Field. Erosional complexes overlying sand-rich reservoirs in
the central portion of the field cut progressively deeper
towards the south (Fig. 16B).
The Cycle 3.6A reservoir sand (‘S’ sand of McGee et al.,
1994) is a 60-m thick, thickening and coarsening upward
sheet sand in Sequence 3 (Fig. 17). Conventional core from
the lower, more thinly bedded (0.3 –1 m thick) interval
reveals the presence of parallel-laminated (Tb) and rippled
and/or convoluted facies (Tc), with floating shale rip-up
clasts near some bed tops. The core from the upper, thickly
bedded portion is predominantly massive (McGee et al.,
1994). Dipmeter data indicates a northeasterly source for the
S sand and deposition at the base of slope adjacent to the
Auger ridge as a series of migrating bars that amalgamated
to form sheets.
Most of the reservoir sands in the Auger Cycle 3.6B
interval are channel fill sands contained in Sequence 7
ranging from 10 to 20 m in thickness (R sands of McGee
et al., 1994) (Fig. 18). Sheet-like sands are present in the
underlying Sequences 5 and 6, but the former pinch out
576 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586

Fig. 14. Conventional core description from the Macaroni Cycle 3.6B interval tied to GR logs. Locations of core shown on Fig. 13. (A) The Macaroni ‘P2’ sand
is a coarsening and thickening upward sand with a sheet-like external architecture and massive internal bedding. It represents a ‘fill’ phase of ponded
accommodation. (B) The overlying ‘O’ sand is thinly bedded and contains numerous small-scale sedimentary structures. It represents a ‘spill phase’ after
ponded accommodation had been filled and during which large amounts of sediment were bypassing to the outboard basin.

rapidly updip and the overlying channel complex erodes the
latter. The sands form a multi-storied complex with a
complicated drainage pattern resulting from channel
amalgamation and erosion of topseals associated with
the CS 5 and CS 6 drapes in the updip (proximal) portion
of the field.
The Cycle 3.7A reservoir at Auger Field occurs within
Sequence 8 and consists of three stacked sands (Q-sands
of McGee et al., 1994) ranging from 12 –25 m thick and
separated by 6 – 10 m muds (Fig. 19). The basal sand in
the succession is a sheet sand deposited at the break in
paleo-slope adjacent to the ridge. It has a sheet like
architecture that pinches out updip onto the flank of the
Auger Ridge. The upper two sands are more channelized
and show thickening and increased sand percent in updip
areas. In downdip areas of the field, a fourth, laterally
discontinuous channel sand (Q0) locally erodes into the
underlying reservoir sands. After a capping drape, the
Cycle 3.7A reservoir is overlain by a 180 –240 m thick,
disconformable interval of mud and thinly bedded sands
that improve in sand percentage updip toward the paleo-
ridge.
Cycle 3.7B at Auger Field (Sequence 12) contains a thin
sheet sand (O2) that onlaps the base of slope and an
overlying sharp-based, fining-upward sand (‘O’ of McGee
et al., 1994) interpreted as a channel/lobe transitional
deposit (Fig. 20). The upper sand is thickest and contains the
highest sand percentage near the paleo-base of slope
adjacent to the Auger Ridge and becomes more thinly
bedded and finer grained in updip areas. Seismic loop-scale
observations reveal strike-view mounding in the mid-dip
position representing aggradation of finer-grained overbank
deposits, and low-relief erosive channels in updip areas that
are represented by prominent seismic amplitude lineations
radiating from the fan apex in map view (Fig. 5).
Conventional core recovered from the fining upward sand
in a mid-dip position reveals numerous amalgamation
surfaces, partial sequences of Ta (massive) through Tc
(rippled and/or convolute), and several beds containing
shale rip-ups.
Cycle 3.7B is condensed at Auger Field and does not
contain a reservoir. Cycle 3.8B (Sequence 14) contains
amalgamated channel-fill sands and overbank deposits
(N-sand of McGee et al., 1994). The sand thickness varies
considerably more than other Auger Field reservoirs,
ranging from 7 m in a partially eroded section in the
downdip portion of the field to 34 m near the updip edge
of the reservoir adjacent to the paleo-ridge. Similar to
the underlying O sand, seismic loop-scale observations
reveal strike-view mounding consistent with aggradation of
overbank deposits in mid dip areas and more erosive
geometries in updip areas (Fig. 5). N-sand channels
appear to follow underlying O-sand channel incisions
in proximal areas of the fan, similar to the retrofit
channels described by Gardner, Borer, Melick, Mavilla,
and Wagerle (2003).
 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586 577

Fig. 15. (A) Dip profile through Auger Field illustrating depositional sequences and seismic facies interpretations. Notice the cyclical patterns of onlap facies,
overlying erosional chaotic facies, and hemipelagic drapes. Area shown is indicated on the cross section in Fig. 9 and is also shown on the map in Fig. 3A. (B)
Dip-oriented stratigraphic cross section through Auger Field hung on the CS 14 datum. Notice that most sheet sands occur within onlap facies and pinch out at
the base of slope adjacent to the ridge whereas sands within channelized intervals tend to thicken updip. The Cycle 3.6B sheet sand is present only in the most
downdip well as it is eroded from updip areas. Location of cross section is shown in Fig. 3A and is also indicated above.
578 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586

Fig. 16. (A) Depositional strike-oriented structural cross-section from the updip portion of Auger Field showing depositional sequences containing cyclical
patterns of basal sand-rich deposits overlain by erosional channel complexes and capped by drapes. Relative to the central portion of the Field, the downthrown
reservoir section to the northeast is expanded and contains thicker sands whereas the section along strike to the southeast is muddier and dominated by erosional
channel complexes. See Fig. 3A for the location of the cross section.

6. Discussion the southern margin of the Auger Basin (Fig. 21). The
first phase, Cycle 3.6A and older stratigraphy, represents
6.1. Ponded fill sequences a period of relatively high relief between the basin margin
and incoming turbidity currents. Flow ponding, or the
The stratigraphic section penetrated at Macaroni Field complete capture of incoming flows (Sinclair & Tomasso,
records three distinct and successive phases of fill at 2002), dominates this initial phase of deposition.

Fig. 17. Depositional model for the Auger Field Cycle 3.6A (‘S’) sheet sand based on dipmeter interpretation. (A) GR profile and correlation of sand members
between two wells roughly 1100 m apart. The ‘S’ sand is penetrated in nine other wells and shows a consistent correlation between all wells. The uppermost
sand member is missing only from the A2 well (shown above). (B) Map view of depositional model for the ‘S’ sand. (C) Internal architecture of bars and lobes
contained within the ‘S’ sand.
 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586 579

Fig. 18. Depositional dip-oriented stratigraphic cross-section from the Cycle 3.6B reservoir interval at Auger Field. Notice that the sheet sand reservoirs in this
interval either pinch out rapidly updip or are eroded by the overlying channel systems. AS, amalgamated sheet; AC, amalgamated channel; CS, condensed
zone. See Fig. 3A for location of cross section. The Cycle 3.6B sheet reservoirs are better preserved in areas of ponded accommodation downthrown to the
North Auger Fault (Fig. 16A) and at Macaroni Field (Figs. 12 and 13).

The presence of rapidly thinning depositional sequences at
Macaroni Field and a generally sand-poor Cycle 3.6A
section with the exception of well developed sands in the
most downdip well indicates that the southern basin
margin during Cycle 3.6A was a relatively high relief
feature. Analogues for this type of setting include Basin
IV in the Brazos/Trinity System (Badalini et al., 2000;
Beaubouef & Friedman, 2000; Winker, 1996) and the
lower fill of the Annot sandstone in the southern sub-basin
(Sinclair & Tomasso, 2002).
The second phase of fill at Macaroni, the sand-rich
Cycle 3.6B stratigraphy, represents a period of diminished

Fig. 19. Dip-oriented stratigraphic cross-section from the basal portion of the Cycle 3.7A reservoir interval (Sequence 8) at Auger Field. Notice the onlap of the
basal sheet sand (Q3) at the toe of slope and the improvement of the amalgamated channel fill sands (Q1 and Q2) in the updip area. The Q1–Q3 sands are
sourced from the northeastern entry point from the Andros Basin whereas the overlying Q0 sands are part of a younger channelized system trending NW–SE
along the basin axis (see Fig. 10 A and B). The timeslice in Fig. 4A illustrates the seismic expression of the channels in the basal portion of the Q0 basin-axis
trending channel system. See Fig. 16 for strike-oriented cross sections.
580 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586
Fig. 20. Depositional dip-oriented cross section from the Cycle 3.7B reservoir at Auger Field showing a basal sheet sand (O2) onlapping the base of the
paleoslope adjacent at the Auger ridge and an overlying, fining upward sand sand that represents channel/lobe transition deposits downdip and
channel/overbank deposits updip. Sediment transport is from right to left.
relief on the southern basin margin. Flow stripping, where
upper portions of flows are able to escape over confining
topography while basal portions of flows are captured, is a
dominant process during Cycle 3.6B and accounts for the
occurrence of the sand-rich section. The counter-regional
fault appears to be the critical structural element
controlling the southern depositional limit of the sheet
sands. Episodic sediment input during this period coupled
with rapid rates of salt-withdrawal produce rapid alterna-
tion between periods of sand rich deposition filling
available accommodation and quiescent periods during
which accommodation regenerates, resulting in vertically
stacked, sheet-to-channel successions that record three
high frequency cycles of fill and spill over a period of
roughly 170,000 years.
The final phase of deposition at Macaroni is large-scale
incision and bypass to the outboard Tampa Basin that
begins after deposition of the stacked sheet sands in the
basal portion of Cycle 3.7A (see Fig. 12). Channel
incision that occurs during this phase occurs due to a state
of disequilibrium as channels respond to a new base level
established by the outboard Tampa basin, similar to the
manner described by Pirmez, Beaubouef, Friedmann, and
Mohrig, (2000), and Beaubouef and Friedman (2000). The
headward (northern) limit of erosion for the erosional
complexes in Sequences 9 through 11 consistently occurs
slightly north of the counter-regional fault that controlled
ponding in the underlying intervals. This point, termed the
equilibrium point by Beaubouef and Friedman (2000),
represents a point of equilibrium between the Auger and
the outboard Tampa Basin. Erosional channel complexes
within chaotic seismic facies incising the basin spill in a
similar position dominate the remainder of Cycles 3.7A
and 3.7B before gradually forestepping southward.
Overlying sequences (9, 10, 12) contain eroded remnants
of onlap facies and Sequence 13, which is condensed
at Auger Field, contains preserved sheet sands within
onlap facies.
6.2. Healed slope fill sequences
Unlike the stratigraphy at Macaroni Field, that records
the progressive fill of ponded accommodation from
mud-rich, to sand-rich, to bypass over a relatively short
interval of time, the Auger Field stratigraphy alternates
between (1) basal sand-rich deposits and (2) overlying,
erosional channel and mass flow complexes within fourth
order depositional sequences. The basal deposits record
deposition from high-density turbidity currents sourced
by channels from the northeastern entry point, traveling
transversely into the basin axis to the base of slope
adjacent to the ridge. The overlying channelized com-
plexes are largely downdip extensions of systems spilling
transversely from the northeastern entry point,
although there is also a basinward system trending
N –S along the basin-axis. The cyclical pattern between
onlap and chaotic facies represent in vertical profile the
down fan translation of channelized environments across
previous sheet-dominated deposits and demonstrate a
close balance between depositional and erosional pro-
cesses following initial deposition at the base of slope.
The fact that the magnitude of erosion associated
with the transverse delivery system diminishes upward
reflects that the gradient step change between
the Auger and Andros Basins was decreasing (healing)
through time.
A typical fill fourth-order sequence in the Auger area
begins with turbidite ponding in the Andros Basin on the
northeastern flank of the salt ridge and downthrown to the
North Auger Fault (Fig. 22). As fill in the Andros Basin
progresses, turbidity currents initially spill from the
northeast across the salt ridge into the Auger Basin,
 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586 581

Fig. 21. Evolutionoffill sequences at Macaroni Field: (I) Cycle 3.6A and older stratigraphyis a periodof relativelyhigh relief between the basin marginand incoming
turbidity currents that results in both sand and mud-rich portion offlows being captured. Sands present in downdip areas thin rapidly updip. (II) The sand-rich Cycle
3.6B stratigraphy represents a period of diminished relief on the southern basin margin. Episodic sediment input and rapid rates of salt-withdrawal result in vertically
stacked, sheet-to-channel successionsthat recordthree highfrequencycycles offill andspillover a 170,000-year period.(III)The finalphase at Macaroniis a phaseof
large-scale incision and bypass to the outboard Tampa Basin that begins during Cycle 3.7A. Incision of the former sill occurs as channels respond to a new base level
established by the outboard Tampa basin. Erosional channel complexes within chaotic seismic facies dominate the post-Cycle 3.7A section.

sourcing sand-rich deposits at the slope break on the the downdip margins of the transverse system. Transverse
southwestern flank of the ridge. Later in the depositional delivery eventually shifts southward, sourcing a system
sequence, basin-axis trending channels sourced from the that is more erosive and channelized than the previous.
north spill across the North Auger Fault, incising Channel and overbank deposits of this younger system
582 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586

Fig. 22. Evolution of a typical fourth-order depositional sequence at Auger Field: (I) During initial turbidite delivery, areas of ponded accommodation in the
Andros Basin on the northeast flank of the Auger Ridge and downthrown to the North Auger Fault trap the bulk of sand-sized sediment. (II) While sand-rich
deposition continues downthrown to the North Auger Fault, turbidite delivery spills from the northeast into the Auger Basin, sourcing high net/gross sheet/lobe
deposits at the slope break on the western flank of the ridge. (III) Later in the depositional sequence, basin-axis trending channels sourced from the northern and
northwestern entry points spill across the North Auger Fault, incising the downdip margins of the underlying sand-rich fans. (IV) Sediment delivery from the
northeastern system eventually shifts southward, sourcing a system that is more erosive and channelized than the previous. Ultimately, muddy channel margin,
overbank, and mass-flow deposits bury the previous sand-rich northeasterly sourced fan. During condensed deposition, subsidence rates exceed the rate of
sediment input, creating additional accommodation for the fill pattern to repeat in overlying depositional sequences.

bury and/or locally erode underlying sand-rich deposits
and the system is ultimately abandoned. Subsidence rates
exceed the rate of sediment input during condensed
intervals, down warping the depositional surface adjacent
to the ridge, thereby allowing the cycle to repeat in
overlying depositional sequences.
6.3. Axial versus transverse sediment delivery
One important consideration not clearly established in
previous discussions of accommodation within confined
intraslope basin (e.g. Booth et al., 2000; Prather, 2000;
Prather, Booth, Steffens, & Craig, 1998) is the impact of
multiple sediment dispersal pathways, specifically with
respect to axial versus transverse flow paths within healed
slope accommodation. First and most obvious, ponded
accommodation is by definition below local grade with
respect to all potential sediment delivery systems and in
areas such as in the Auger Basin where multiple sediment
sources are present, each delivery system-assuming
similar flow composition-is capable of producing similar
types of deposits. Conversely, the structural position of
healed slope accommodation in space limits the number
of delivery systems capable of sourcing it. For example,
healed slope accommodation at Auger Field is relatively
high on the basin margin and linked to only two of the
delivery systems (northern and northeastern). More
importantly, however, these delivery systems will have
very different depositional profiles that directly affect both
the nature of the deposit (mud or sand rich, sheet or
channel) and the height to which each is capable of filling.
A northeasterly-sourced, transverse delivery system
encounters a significant reduction in slope gradient
conducive for sand-rich turbidite deposition relatively
high on the basin margin (Fig. 23). Conversely, the axial
system first fills a small area of ponded accommodation
north of Auger Field, but then encounters a relatively
constant slope gradient with very little space available for
 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586
Fig. 23. Estimated paleo-bathymetric profiles to illustrate the differences in
sand potential between a northeasterly sourced delivery system transverse
to the basin axis and a northerly-sourced system along the basin axis west of
Auger Field. The profiles are based on present-day structural configuration
at the CS 7 level (Cycle 3.7A). (A) The transverse profile B-B0 (location
shown in Fig. 2A) shows that the northeasterly-sourced delivery system will
encounter an abrupt decrease in paleo-bathymetric gradient on the western
flank of the Auger Ridge that is conducive for sand-rich turbidite
deposition. Deposition causes aggradation at the base of slope, forces the
base of slope to retreat, and the updip limit of successive sand rich deposits
(t1-t3) backsteps towards the sediment source through time. (B) The axial
profile along A –A0 (location shown in Fig. 6) illustrates a depositional
profile with very little space available for sand-prone deposition upthrown
to the Auger Fault immediately west of Auger Field. The intersection of the
two profiles and comparison of fill stages t1 –t3 shows the axial system will
not achieve the amount of sand rich fill (HS) deposited at the base of slope
by the transverse system.
sand-prone deposition. This profile causes the northern
and northwestern delivery systems to be predominantly
channel-dominated in the area between the North Auger
Fault and the basin floor to the south (see Fig. 10).
Isolated channels present in downdip wells in Sequence 8
are clearly part of a basin-axis trending system sourced
from the north/northwestern delivery system (see Figs. 4A
and 19). Channels are also visible trending parallel to
the base of slope adjacent to the ridge in Sequence 14. In
both instances, basin-axis trending channels locally erode
underlying sand-rich deposits sourced from the transverse
delivery system while sands contained within the channel
complexes thin rapidly onto the flank of the structure. The
strongly onlapping facies in Sequence 13 also contains
channel-form geometries that link it to the basin-axis
trending system. Wells at Macaroni confirm the presence
of sheet sands in this interval, but Auger wells penetrate
updip of the onlap margin representing the laterally
583
confining slope and encounter only thin beds and
hemipelagic shales.
Understanding the transverse depositional model for
Auger Field and other high-relief confined turbidite systems
requires detailed seismic mapping and careful facies
analysis. Early depositional models for Auger Field were
in fact erroneously attributed to the basin axis trending
systems by virtue of the striking channelform geometries
along the basin axis (e.g. McGee et al., 1994). The axially
sourced system, while clearly the most obvious on stratal
timeslices is arguably the least significant in terms of sand
potential for the basin margin setting of Auger Field. The
axial system is likely prominent because it represents
channelized delivery locked in a near-grade profile for a
relatively long period, whereas channels of the transverse
system are more ephemeral, laterally avulsing while
infilling large amounts of below grade accommodation
adjacent to the ridge. In the basal portion of the sequence,
small-scale avulsion events result in lateral switching and
amalgamation of sand-rich lobes and bars (Fig. 17). With
progress towards grade, channels first begin to advance
across the underlying deposits and then experience a large-
scale avulsion event switching delivery to the southern
portion of the field, where considerable below grade
accommodation still exists and channels are again free to
migrate laterally. Ultimately, the alternately forestepping,
backstepping, and laterally migrating channel systems over
the life of the transverse delivery system ‘erase’ most
channelform signatures. Transverse channelforms in the
Auger Basin that are preserved and mounded geometries
consistent with transport by a transverse delivery system are
both very subtle and contained in only the youngest fill
sequences when depositional profiles between the Auger
and Andros basins had nearly achieved grade.
6.4. Controls on cyclical stacking patterns
The cyclicity between basal sheet/lobe prone deposits
and overlying channelized deposits observed in the Auger
Basin are similar to patterns described from both high-
resolution data in the shallow subsurface (Badalini et al.,
2000; Beaubouef & Friedman, 2000; Winker, 1996), as well
as from outcrop data (Gardner, 2003; Mutti, Davoili, More,
& Papani, 1995; Mutti & Normark, 1987). Mutti et al., 1995
subdivide turbidite systems into three zones, a source, a
transfer zone along which flows maintain equilibrium
between deposition and erosion, and a depositional zone;
and point out that cyclicity is linked to forestepping and
backstepping of transfer zones throughout the lifetime of a
turbidite system in response to changes in flow efficiency.
Gardner et al. (2003) describe ‘build-cut-fill-spill’ phases of
turbidite deposition from the Permian Brushy Canyon
Formation that record translation of channel/lobe transitions
across depositional sites, and attribute the patterns to record
temporal variations in flow efficiency. Flow efficiency, or
the measure of the capability of a flow to transmit sediment
584 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586
basinward is affected by many parameters, including not
only flow properties (volume, thickness, grain size popu-
lation), but also paleo-bathymetric controls such as gradient,
length of slopes and local topography (Gardner et al, 2003).
Pirmez (2000) concludes that in most cases, paleo-
bathymetry dictates the spatial distribution of cut and fill
events, but changing flow properties linked to external
factors control the timing.
Acknowledging the potential impact of external controls,
the Auger Basin is an end-member in terms of sediment
supply and accommodation relative to most other slope
turbidite systems. First, large amounts of accommodation
and rapid salt-withdrawal induced subsidence characterize
the central Gulf of Mexico slope during the Pliocene.
Second, the Auger Basin is immediately downdip of the
middle Pliocene depocenter (see Fig. 1) that likely supplied
this rapidly subsiding basin with episodic high rates of
sediment input. Combined, these two factors-extremely
high rates of sediment input and subsidence-may allow cut
and fill events to occur completely independent of changes
in flow properties. At Macaroni Field, the progressive
vertical evolution of the fill sequence and the sandy nature
of the spill-phase erosional channel complexes in Cycle
3.7A make it relatively clear that the observed transition to
channelization and bypass occurs due to fill of accommo-
dation and not a change in flow properties. Likewise, the
observed transitions between sheet-prone onlap facies and
overlying channelized complexes at fourth and higher-
orders within healed slope accommodation at Auger Field
may simply reflect turbidite deposition building the
depositional surface toward equilibrium independent of
flow compositional changes. Base of slope deposition at the
onset of turbidite delivery rapidly builds the transverse
depositional profile toward equilibrium, allowing channel
systems to translate downslope across previous sheet
deposits before avulsing southward. The fact that
the younger, newly avulsed system is more erosive in the
southern portion of the field may simply be a function of
steeper paleo-slopes and greater distances to the base of
slope from the entry point (Fig. 22, phase IV). Gradient can
also completely account for this change in the fill pattern
observed in the uppermost sequences, which lack a
significant ‘cut’ phase because at this late stage there is
only a low-relief ‘step’ remaining between the Andros and
Auger Basins. Therefore the transition to bypass is less
erosive and more dominated by overbank deposition,
resulting in the strongly mounded geometries observed in
the Cycle 3.7B and 3.8B sands.
While paleo-bathymetric changes may independently
control evolution from sheet to channel dominated depo-
sition, cyclical occurrence of these patterns at fourth- and
higher order scales requires an external control such as sea
level, high frequency climatic fluctuations, or updip avulsion
events to cause episodic alternation between high rates of
sediment input filling, and condensed intervals regenerating
accommodation. Within this framework of fluctuating
sediment supply, the timing and duration of reduced
sediment flux is critical, as shorter periods of quiescence
between depositional events or lower rates of subsidence in
portions of a basin may not allow sufficient additional
accommodation to form. In the Auger Basin, inadequate
accommodation accounts for the differing degrees of
preservation potential between Auger and Macaroni Fields
in the Cycle 3.6B interval, where sand rich deposits within
high frequency depositional sequences that form the main
reservoir section at Macaroni are either eroded or pinch out
rapidly updip onto the flank of the Auger ridge.
7. Conclusions
The Pliocene-age stratigraphic section in the Auger
Basin contains turbidite fill within both ponded and healed
slope accommodation. While both settings record general
trends from older sheet dominated- to younger channel
dominated deposits over roughly 2 m.y., internal fill
patterns at fourth and higher-order scales are distinct. Fill
at Macaroni Field within ponded accommodation rapidly
evolves through a progressive fill sequence begins with (1) a
mud rich, strongly ponded phase, progresses to (2) a brief
sand rich phase that contains high frequency fill/spill cycles,
and ends with (3) a phase of large-scale incision and bypass
to the outboard basin. Conversely, the healed slope fill
sequence at Auger Field shows alternation at fourth- and
higher-order cyclicity between basal sand-rich deposits and
overlying erosional channel and/or mass flow complexes
that alternately forestep and backstep throughout the life of
the system. The rate of fill between the two settings is also
distinct; ponded accommodation in the basin fills more
rapidly, and the section penetrated relatively high on the
basin margin at Macaroni contains a sand-rich section that
spans a relatively short interval of time compared to Auger
Field. This is in part because 3-dimensional confinement
allows ponded accommodation to capture a greater volume
of sediment from individual flows than healed slope
accommodation, but also because ponded accommodation
is below local grade with respect to all channels entering the
basin and hence delivered larger volumes of sediment.
Conversely, healed slope accommodation adjacent to the
Auger Ridge is linked to only two of the four delivery
systems in the basin, only one of which dominates due to the
proximity of a sediment point source and its transverse
depositional profile. Furthermore, whereas only the height
and the position relative to the basin sill limit depositional
thickness and preservation potential at Macaroni, an
equilibrium profile limits the initial thickness and preser-
vation potential of healed slope deposits. The position
relative to equilibrium accounts for the cyclical fill patterns
observed throughout the section at Auger Field, as
aggradation of at the local base-of-slope allows channelized
portions of fans to advance across underlying sand rich
 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586
sheet/lobe deposits, a pattern that is repeated by the system
alternately backstepping and forestepping through time.
This study highlights several important considerations in
predicting fill and preservation potential within the
intraslope basins. Lengths and gradients of paleo-slopes
and the location and orientation of sediment sources, either
axial or transverse, are important considerations in healed
slope settings; whereas sill height, the position on the basin
margin, and the size of the ‘step’ to the outboard basin are
important in ponded settings. The observations regarding
transverse versus axial flow in the Auger Basin suggests that
frequently observed channel-forms on 3D seismic datasets
might be misleading. In some cases, sediment delivery
pathways can be completely misidentified, whereas in
others channelized models invoked for sheet/lobe deposits
based on geometries apparent from timeslices that simply
represent late-stage channelized delivery on depositional
slopes built to grade by the underlying deposits. Such
pitfalls can be avoided and the prediction of reservoirs and
topseals greatly improved by understanding the distribution
of accommodation in a basin and identifying the bathy-
metric elements in a basin that control sediment dispersal
patterns and affect depositional processes.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Gary Steffens, Brad Prather, and
Fred Keller, for their roles in numerous discussions on the
concepts set forth in this paper. We would also like to thank
Mark Barton for his unsights based on dipmeter interpret-
ations at Auger Field. Critical reviews by Rick Beaubouef
and especially Mike Gardner significantly improved the
quality of this manuscript and for that we are very grateful.
Helen Wright, Jake Maggard, Guy Langhoff, and Darren
Oalmann provided essential support in figure preparation.
Study of the Auger Basin involved many Shell staff, but we
would especially like to acknowledge Deb Pfeiffer, Dave
McGee, and Brian Baker for their contributions to the study.
Finally, we would like to thank Shell Exploration and
Production Company for allowing us to publish this paper.
References
Badalini, G., Kneller, B., & Winker, C. D. (2000). Architecture and
Processes in the Late Pleistocene Brazos-Trinity turbidite system Gulf
of Mexico continental slope. GCSSEPM Foundation 20th Annual
Research Conference, 16 –34.
Beaubouef, R. T., & Friedman, S. J. (2000). High resolution seismic/
sequence stratigraphic framework for the evolution of Pleistocene
intraslope basins, western Gulf of Mexico: Depositional models and
reservoir analogues. GCSSEPM Foundation 20th Annual Research
Conference, 40 –60.
Booth, J. R., DuVernay, A. E., III, Pfeiffer, D. S., & Styzen, M. J. (2000).
Sequence stratigraphic framework, depositional models, and stacking
patterns of ponded and slope fan systems in the Auger Basin; Central
585
Gulf of Mexico Slope. GCSSEPM Foundation 20th Annual Research
Conference, 82–103.
Dean, M. C., King, K. M., & Booth, J. R. (2000). The present is the key to
the Plio-Pleistocene: Seafloor analogues at Shell’s GB 516 Serrano
Discovery. GCSSEPM Foundation 20th Annual Research Conference,
293– 303.
Demyttenaere, R., Tromp, J. P., Ibrahim, A., & Allman-Ward, P. (2000).
Brunei deep water exploration: From sea floor images and shallow
seismic analogues to depositional models in a slope turbidite setting.
GCSSEPM Foundation 20th Annual Research Conference, 304– 317.
Gardner, M. H., Borer, J. M., Melick, J. J., Mavilla, N., & Wagerle, R
(2003). Stratigraphic process-response model for submarine channels
and related features from studies of the Permian Brushy Canyon
outcrops, West Texas. Marine and petroleum geology, this issue (doi:
10.1016/J.marpetgeo.2003.07.004)
Haq, B. U., Hardenbol, J., & Vail, P. R. (1987). The chronology of
fluctuating sea level since the Triassic. Science, 235, 1156–1167.
Holman, W. E., & Robertson, S. S. (1994). Field development, depositional
model and production performance of the turbiditic J sands at Prospect
Bullwinkle, Green Canyon 65 field, outer shelf, Gulf of Mexico. In P.
Weimer, A. H. Bouma, & B. F. Perkins (Eds.), Submarine fans and
turbidite systems—sequence stratigraphy, reservoir architecture, and
production characteristics (pp. 139 –150). GCSSEPM Fifteenth Annual
Research Conference.
Mahaffie, M. J. (1994). Reservoir classification for turbidite intervals at the
Mars discovery, Mississippi Canyon 807, Gulf of Mexico. In P.
Weimer, A. H. Bouma, & B. F. Perkins (Eds.), Submarine fans and
turbidite systems-sequence stratigraphy, reservoir architecture, and
production characteristics (pp. 233 –244). GCSSEPM Fifteenth Annual
Research Conference.
McGee, D. T., Bilinski, P. W., Gary, P. S., Pfeiffer, D. S., & Scheiman, J. L.
(1994). Geologic models and reservoir geometries of Auger Field,
deepwater Gulf of Mexico. In P. Weimer, A. H. Bouma, & B. F. Perkins
(Eds.), Submarine fans and turbidite systems-sequence stratigraphy,
reservoir architecture, and production characteristics (pp. 245 –256).
GCSSEPM Fifteenth Annual Research Conference.
Mutti, E., Davoli, G., Mora, S., & Papani, L. (1995). Internal stacking
patterns of ancient turbidite systems from collisional basins. In P.
Weimer, A. H. Bouma, & B. F. Perkins (Eds.), Submarine fans and
turbidite systems-sequence stratigraphy, reservoir architecture, and
production characteristics (pp. 257 –268). GCSSEPM Fifteenth Annual
Research Conference.
Mutti, E., & Normark, W. R. (1987). Comparing examples of modern and
ancient turbidite systems: Problems and concepts. In J. K. Legget, &
G. G. Zuffa (Eds.), Deep water clastic deposits: Models and case
histories (pp. 1–38). London: Graham and Trotman.
Normark, W. R. (1978). Fan valleys, channels and depositional lobes on
modern submarine fans-characters for recognition of sandy turbidite
environments. AAPG Bulletin, 62, 912 –931.
Normark, W. R., Piper, D. J., & Hess, G. R. (1979). Distributary channels,
sand lobes and mesotopography of Navy submarine fan, California
borderland, with application to ancient fan sediments. Sedimentology,
26, 749–774.
Pirmez, C., Beaubouef, R. T., Friedmann, S. J., & Mohrig, D. C. (2000).
Equilibrium profile and baselevel in submarine channels: Examples
from late Pleistocene systems and implications for the architecture of
deepwater reservoirs. GCSSEPM Foundation 20th Annual Research
Conference, 782–805.
Prather, B. E. (2000). Calibration and visualization of depositional process
models for above-grade slopes: A case study from the Gulf of Mexico.
Marine and Petroleum Geology, 17, 619 –638.
Prather, B. E. (2003). Controls on reservoir distribution, architecture, and
stratigraphic trapping in slope settings. Marine and Petroleum Geology,
(This volume In press).
Prather, B. E., Booth, J. R., Steffens, G. S., & Craig, P. A. (1998).
Classification, lithologic calibration, and stratigraphic succession of
586 J.R. Booth et al. / Marine and Petroleum Geology 20 (2003) 563–586
seismic facies of intraslope basins, deep-water Gulf of Mexico. AAPG
Bulletin, 82(5a), 701–728.
Prior, D. B., & Bornhold, B. D. (1988). Submarine morphology and
processes of fjord fan deltas and related high-gradient systems: Modern
examples from British Columbia. In W. Nemec, & R. J. Steele (Eds.),
Fan Deltas: Sedimentology and Tectonic Settings (pp. 125 –143).
Sinclair, H. D., & Tomasso, M. (2002). Depositional evolution of confined
turbidite basins. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 72(4), 451 –456.
Steffens, G. S., Biegert, E. K., Sumner, H. S (2003). Quantitative
bathymetric analysis of selected deepwater siliciclastic margins:
Receiving basin configurations for deepwater fan systems, This volume
In press
Styzen, M. J. (1996). A chart in two sheets of the Late Cenezoic
chronostratigraphy of the Gulf of Mexico. Houston, TX: Gulf Coast
Section SEPM Foundation.
Winker, C. D. (1996). High-resolution seismic stratigraphy of a late
Pleistocene submarine fan ponded by salt-withdrawal minibasins on the
Gulf of Mexico continental slope. in Proceedings of the 28th annual
Offshore technology Conference, p. 619–628.
Winker, C. D., & Booth, J. R. (2000). Sedimentary dynamics of the salt-
dominated continental slope, Gulf of Mexico: Integration of
observations from the seafloor, near surface, and deep subsurface.
GCSSEPM Foundation 20th Annual Research Conference,
1059–1086.