tracts leased earlier, but for added exploration as well. 

 There was a flurry of gas wells brought to production in late 

 1974 and 1975 on the outer reaches of High Island South 

 and High Island East-South which increased interest in the 

 upper Texas coast. By early 1976, 8 platforms had been 

 set in these areas and 12 more were on the way. In the 

 Louisiana areas there were also some significant findings, 

 particularly in the deep-water areas (discussed below), but 

 also in the shallower areas. There were new discoveries and 

 extensions of previously existing fields in the Eugene Island, 

 Vermilion, West Cameron, and South Marsh Island areas in 1975 

 (Figure 2.1). The gas finds in High Island South and High 

 Island East-South and oil discoveries, such as those found in 

 Eugene Island, lead operators to believe that there are still 

 pools of commercial size on the far reaches of the continental 

 shelf. This belief is indicated by the fact that the majority 

 of rigs being ordered along the Gulf Coast are jack-ups 

 designed for waters of approximately 300 ft -- the depths 

 of the far reaches of the OCS (Leblanc, 1976: 84-90). 



The other major potential for future production in the 

 Gulf of Mexico lies in the deep-water areas of the continental 

 slope and the ocean floor. Explorationists feel that the 

 undiscovered oil and gas fields remaining on the Continental 

 Shelf are few and commercially small but that larger finds, 

 especially oil, are under the continental slope and out under 

 the ultra-deep waters of the central Gulf. In fact, some 

 geologists predict that the largest reserves yet to be found 

 in the Gulf are in these ultra-deep waters. 



57 



