3.0 PAST AND PRESENT OCS PRODUCTION - SOUTH ATLANTIC REGION 



3.1 FIELDS 



The South Atlantic OCS region, offshore of North and South Carolina, 

 Georgia, and Northeastern Florida is officially called the South Atlantic/ 

 Georgia Embayment OCS area (3,p.l). In this offshore area, the best chances 

 for oil discoveries are given to an area called the Blake Plateau, which is 

 approximately 100 miles offshore. Depths of water above this geologic struc- 

 ture range from 1,000 to 3,000 feet (4, p. 20). The second best area for pro- 

 posed offshore oil exploration is the Georgia Embayment, a semicircular- 

 shaped area extending from Central South Carolina to Northeastern Florida. 

 This area varies from 15 to 60 miles offshore. These two regions 

 comprise BLM Sale No. 43, which was tentatively set for December, 1976 

 '5, p. 2), although speculation is that lease sales here will be delayed until 

 late 1977 (6, p. 20). 



The South Atlantic OCS region coastal counties which will be most in- 

 volved in OCS oil and gas development are shown in Figure 3. The two 

 fields in this region, the Blake Plateau and the Southeast Georgia Embayment, 

 are shown in Figure 1. 



In the OCS region offshore of the Carolinas and Georgia, the petroleum po- 

 tential is most favorable beneath the Blake Plateau, Southeast Georgia Embay- 

 ment, Hatteras Embayment and the flanks of the Cape Fear Arch, in that 

 order (l,p.l5). Outer Continental Shelf areas under consideration for leasing 



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