Seasonal variation of pteropods from the Western Arabian Sea sediment trap

Sediment trap samples collected from the Western Arabian Sea yielded a rich assemblage of intact and non-living (opaque white) pteropod tests from a water depth of 919 m during January to September 1993. Nine species of pteropods were recorded, all (except one) displaying distinct seasonality in abundance, suggesting their response to changing hydrographical conditions influenced by the summer/winter monsoon cycle. Pteropod fluxes increased during the April–May peak of the intermonsoon, and reached maximum levels in the late phase of the southwest summer monsoon, probably due to the shallowing of the mixed layer depth. This shallowing, coupled with enhanced nutrient availability, provides ideal conditions for pteropod growth, also reflected in corresponding fluctuations in the flux of the foraminifer Globigerina bulloides. Pteropod/planktic foraminifer ratios displayed marked seasonal variations, the values increasing during the warmer months of April and May when planktic foraminiferal fluxes declined. The variation in fluxes of calcium carbonate, organic carbon and biogenic opal show positive correlations with fluxes of pteropods and planktic foraminifers. Calcium carbonate was the main contributor to the total particulate flux, especially during the SW monsoon. In the study area, pteropod flux variations are similar to the other flux patterns, indicating that they, too could be used as a potential tool for palaeoclimatic reconstruction of the recent past.     

Fluid overpressure as a control on sandstone reservoir quality in a mechanical compaction dominated setting: Magnolia Field,Gulf of Mexico

The reservoir quality (porosity and permeability) of deeply buried hydrocarbon reservoir sandstones in sedimentary basins is significantly affected by burial diagenesis. Many deep reservoirs develop anomalous fluid overpressures during burial. Previous studies on the effect of fluid overpressure on reservoir quality in these deep reservoirs have been inconclusive because of the difficulty in constraining the individual contributions of various porosity preserving factors that are simultaneously active in these reservoirs. Owing to its rapid burial and low burial temperatures, the Neogene gravity‐flow sandstone reservoirs from the Magnolia Field, Gulf of Mexico, offers a unique opportunity to investigate in isolation the effect of fluid overpressure on reservoir quality. Examination of petrography, pore pressure and routine core analysis datasets showed a positive correlation between high fluid overpressure and enhanced reservoir quality. This study confirms that fluid overpressure preserves reservoir quality in deeply buried sandstone reservoirs in compaction dominated, high sedimentation basin settings.