Cenozoic Gulf Coast Basin

The subsurface situation, however, with respect to dolomitization is more complex, as shown by the work of Land and Prezbindowski (1981). It appears that in the Cenozoic Gulf Coast basin of the United States, subsurface, Ca-rich saline formation waters may be undersaturated with respect to dolomite, and as the brine moves updip, and is progressively diluted by shallow subsurface waters, the brine may cause dedolomitization of carbonates encountered in the subsurface. 

The Cenozoic portions of the Gulf Coast sedimentary basins are immature therefore, little cementing of the sediments has taken place. Poisson s ratio varies with depth for such sedimentary columns, reflecting the variation of properties through the column. At great depth (i.e., approaching 20,000 ft), Poisson s ratio approaches that of incompressible, plastic materials (i.e., 0.5) [35]. 

Example Mid-Atlantic Ridge. North American Atlantic and Gulf Coast Mesozoic and Cenozoic. Aleutian trench. Siwalik scries of India, Bengal submarine fan. Triassic of Eastern North America. Michigan and Eastern interior basins of North America. 

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