South Carolina probably soon will experience intensive exploration activity because of increased demand for oil and gas, proximity to east coast markets, and expanding technologic capability of the oil industry to drill and produce hydrocarbons in deeper water. The possibilities of finding oil and gas in the onshore areas of South Carolina are very low; however, it is believed that major accumulations await discovery in South Carolina’s untested offshore. Present data indicate that the Blake Plateau will be the prime target area although the continental shelf has secondary possibilities. These offshore areas offer the most promise as major petroleum provinces because they have a thick sedimentary section with excellent source beds and trapping possibilities. The petroliferous sedimentary rocks are thought to be of Jurassic and Cretaceous age. The primary structural features that make up the geologic framework of the offshore areas are the Cape Fear arch, the Southeast Georgia embayment and its seaward extension, the Blake Plateau trough. Although intriguing gravity anomalies have been noted in some recent investigations, initial seismic surveys in nearshore areas have not offered much encouragement as to large reservoirs.

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