<p>This comes from <a href="https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/12152/are-there-probably-decent-oil-fields-located-in-the-middle-of-the-ocean">a related question</a> about predicting oil (or not) in the deep sea, not just the continental shelf. Apparently the deep seafloor is igneous, which lowers its chances of holding oilfields.</p>

<p>Yet the Gulf of Mexico, the deep part, does have at least <a href="http://www.subseaiq.com/data/PrintProject.aspx?project_id=124&amp;AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1" rel="noreferrer">one oilfield</a> being exploited. This leads me to ask if there's anything unique about the Gulf and Caribbean Sea relative to the "normal" deep seafloor, whatever that is.</p>

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2017-09-02T11:13:02.877Z
Get the PDF here: https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1997/ofr-97-470/OF97-470L/ for a start
Gimelist
<ocean><oceanography><sea-floor>
Is the seafloor of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea mostly sedimentary rock?
DrZ214
# Is the seafloor of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea mostly sedimentary rock?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-08-27)

This comes from [a related question](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/12152/are-there-probably-decent-oil-fields-located-in-the-middle-of-the-ocean) about predicting oil (or not) in the deep sea, not just the continental shelf. Apparently the deep seafloor is igneous, which lowers its chances of holding oilfields.

Yet the Gulf of Mexico, the deep part, does have at least [one oilfield](http://www.subseaiq.com/data/PrintProject.aspx?project_id=124&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1) being exploited. This leads me to ask if there's anything unique about the Gulf and Caribbean Sea relative to the "normal" deep seafloor, whatever that is.

**Tags:** ocean, oceanography, sea-floor

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Get the PDF here: https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1997/ofr-97-470/OF97-470L/ for a start  

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