Factors influencing the fault displacement-length relationship: an example from the Cantarell oilfield, Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

Assuming a linear relationship between maximum length (L) and maximum fault displacement (D) we investigate the effects of displacement component measured, observation level, and fault linkage by using data from the normal faults of the Akal block of the Cantarell oilfield in the southern Gulf of Mexico (off Campeche). The data are measured from structural contour maps at four different horizons. The summarized results are: (1) dip displacement is better than vertical displacement to analyze the D-L relationship; (2) data from two-tip faults produce higher correlation coefficients (RL2) for linear regression between D and L than one-tip faults; (3) The correlation coefficients (RL2) are different for each analyzed horizons, suggesting that the value of RL2 is dependent on the observed level.