Keathley Canyon

Keathley Canyon is an undersea canyon in the United States Exclusive Economic Zone in the Gulf of Mexico. The canyon is named for the hydrographic survey ship USNS Sergeant George D. Keathley (T-AGS-35).[1]

Keathley Canyon (the United States)
Bathymetric features of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico

The Canyon is rich in oil fields. The major oilfields at the Keathley Canyon are Tiber,[2] Kaskida,[3] Lucius,[4] and Buckskin.[5] Many oil companies, including Chevron Corporation, BP, Anadarko Petroleum, ExxonMobil, Repsol,[6] Shell, Devon Energy, BHP Billiton, Eni, Navitas Petroleum and Total S.A. have leased the rights to drill for oil in this area.

In June, 2011, ExxonMobil announced two major oil and gas discoveries in Keathley Canyon blocks 918, 919, and 964 (Hadrian field)[7] 250 miles (400 km) southwest of New Orleans, with combined estimated reserves of 700 million barrels (110×10^6 m3).[8] The find was "the company’s first deepwater exploration well following a U.S. moratorium" after the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf in 2010 and "one of the largest discoveries in the Gulf ... in the last decade." "Exxon holds a 50% working interest in four ... blocks. Units owned by Petrobras and Eni SPA hold a 25% interest in three of the blocks. Petrobras also owns 50% of one of the blocks."[9]


References
  1. GEBCO Sub-committee on Undersea Feature Names (10–12 April 2003). "Sixteenth Meeting of the GEBCO Sub-committee on Undersea Feature Names (SCUFN)" (PDF). International Hydrographic Bureau, Monaco. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  2. "Tiber". SubSeaIQ. Retrieved 2011-06-09.
  3. "Kaskida Field, USA". Offshore-Technology. Net Resources International. Retrieved 2011-06-09.
  4. "Lucius". SubSeaIQ. Retrieved 2011-06-09.
  5. "Buckskin". SubSeaIQ. Retrieved 2011-06-09.
  6. Smith, Thomas, "More Giant Oil Discoveries" Archived 2010-07-26 at the Wayback Machine, GEO ExPro Magazine, NO2 - 2010. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  7. "Hadrian". SubSeaIQ. Retrieved 2011-06-09.
  8. "ExxonMobil adds to Keathley Canyon success". Offshore Magazine. PennWell Corporation. 2011-06-08. Retrieved 2011-06-09.
  9. Gelsi, Steve, "Exxon holds on to gains, energy stocks fall back", MarketWatch, June 8, 2011, 4:47 p.m. EDT. Retrieved 2011-06-08.


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