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Deep Drilling in Crystalline Bedrock pp 155–171Cite as

Deep Crustal Drilling, Texas Gulf Coast, United States of America

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Part of the book series: Exploration of the Deep Continental Crust ((EXPLORATION))

Abstract

The Gulf Coast province provides an array of scientific dilemmas ranging from the origin of the Gulf itself to the causes and effects of long-lasting circulation of thermobaric waters throughout the thick sedimentary section. The Gulf Coast is a “passive margin”, and plate tectonics theory indicates that the Gulf originated by rifting. From the little available information concerning deep structure and lithology, this theory is appropriate but not conclusively demonstrated. The nature of the underlying crust and superjacent sediments and their contained waters; the precise timing of rifting; diagenesis and early depositional history of the sedimentary sequence; fluid dynamics; geochemistry; hydrocarbon generation and migration; thermal history including unusually high thermal gradient; and the fluid pressure regime in the deep sedimentary section are too poorly understood to permit quantitative analysis of processes that are of enormous scientific and practical importance.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78713, USA

    William R. Muehlberger, William E. Galloway, Lynton S. Land & J. M. Sharp

  2. Institute of Geophysics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78713, USA

    Dale S. Sawyer

  3. Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78713, USA

    Malcolm P. R. Light

Authors
  1. William R. Muehlberger
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  2. William E. Galloway
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  3. Lynton S. Land
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  4. J. M. Sharp
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  5. Dale S. Sawyer
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  6. Malcolm P. R. Light
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Vattenfall, 16287, Vällingby, Sweden

    Anders Bodén

  2. Department of Geology, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296, Göteborg, Sweden

    K. Gösta Eriksson

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© 1988 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Muehlberger, W.R., Galloway, W.E., Land, L.S., Sharp, J.M., Sawyer, D.S., Light, M.P.R. (1988). Deep Crustal Drilling, Texas Gulf Coast, United States of America. In: Bodén, A., Gösta Eriksson, K. (eds) Deep Drilling in Crystalline Bedrock. Exploration of the Deep Continental Crust. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73455-7_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73455-7_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-73457-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-73455-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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