JOSÉ JORGE CARACHEO-GONZÁLEZ, MARINA MANEA, VLAD CONSTANTIN MANEA, IULIANA ARMAȘ

Geodynamical comparative study regarding the salt domes of two different depositional environments: Mexico and Romania

Introduction

Geodynamical comparative study regarding the salt domes of two different depositional environments: mexico and romania. Geodynamical comparative study of salt domes in Mexico & Romania. Numerical models reveal how viscosity, temperature, and layer thickness influence diapirism, crucial for oil traps.

Abstract

Salt diapirs are geological formations that appear in the subsurface and are formed over millions of years. Such formations occur due to the density difference between the salt and the surrounding rock. The density difference causes the salt to penetrate throughout the strata and, therefore, the salt rises to the surface in a process known as diapirism. The importance of salt domes, structures that form because of diapirism, lies on the fact that due to the impermeability of the salt and the deformation associated with the ascent of these structures, salt domes become excellent oil traps, with important reserves. Therefore, it is important to know the conditions that dominate the development of salt domes as well as their evolution and formation environments. If the subsurface is considered as a continuum and by means of the momentum equations, Newton's second law and the heat conservation equation, in addition to an Eulerian approach to matter, numerical models showing the evolution of salt domes can be created, and thanks to them, the parameters that influence the formation of the domes can be calculated. In this work it is concluded that some of the parameters that determine the formation and ascent of the diapir are the width and height of the initial Gaussian anomaly, the viscosity of the salt, the temperature, and the thickness of the salt layer.

Review

The paper's title and abstract outline a promising geodynamical comparative study centered on salt diapirism in Mexico and Romania, two regions characterized by distinct depositional environments. The authors correctly highlight the geological and economic importance of salt domes as significant hydrocarbon traps, underscoring the necessity of understanding their formation and evolution. The proposed methodology, based on sophisticated numerical modeling using a continuum approach, momentum and heat conservation equations, and an Eulerian framework, appears robust and well-suited for simulating the complex processes of diapirism and for quantifying the controlling geophysical parameters. A key strength of this work, as implied by the title, is its comparative analysis across two different depositional settings. This approach has the potential to reveal nuanced influences of varying geological histories, thermal gradients, and overburden characteristics on salt tectonics, thereby providing a more comprehensive and transferable understanding than single-region studies. The focus on identifying and quantifying critical parameters—such as the dimensions of initial anomalies, salt viscosity, temperature, and initial salt layer thickness—is highly pertinent for both fundamental geodynamical research and practical applications in the oil and gas industry. The abstract clearly articulates the ambition to delineate these controlling factors through numerical simulation. However, while the abstract effectively introduces the study's scope and methodology, it concludes with a statement of general findings regarding parameters that influence diapir formation, without explicitly connecting these conclusions to the *comparative* aspect between Mexico and Romania. The abstract states what is concluded about the parameters, but it doesn't elaborate on how these parameters might differ, behave uniquely, or lead to distinct diapiric styles in the two chosen environments. To fully leverage the strength of a comparative study, the abstract would benefit from a clearer articulation of the specific insights, similarities, or differences observed between the two regions, explaining how the analysis of their distinct depositional environments contributes to a deeper or more refined understanding of salt diapirism.

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