Fluid-rock interactions in the salt dome environment: An introduction and review

Abstract

The salt dome environment in the Gulf of Mexico Coast, U.S.A, provides one of the most diverse and long-lived records of fluid-rock interactions in an active sedimentary basin dominated by saline formation waters. The geochemical record, most of which is isotopic, appears to span a temperature range between Earth surface temperatures and lower greenschist facies. Most mineral-forming processes in the salt dome cap rocks appear to involve mixtures of warm saline formation fluids from deep basin sources and cool dilute meteoric waters. Papers in this issue of Chemical Geology document some of the current research on fluid-rock interactions in the salt dome environment. These papers highlight the diversity of opinion about salt dome processes, offering clues for further research. The present paper reviews some of the key and more current literature on salt dome geochemistry, fluid convection around salt domes, and fluid-rock interactions within salt and within the salt dome environment.