This paper integrates, analyzes, and interprets the existing geological and geophysical information related to the opening of the Gulf of Mexico. The analysis of this information has the objective to consider the opening of the Gulf of Mexico as a result of global tectonic processes. Without doubt, the opening of the Gulf of Mexico has its origin in the interaction of two important tectonic events that generated the separation of Pangea: the Farallon Plate subduction in the Pacific and on the opening of the Central Atlantic, whose start is marked by the presence of the Central Atlantic magmatic province. A proposal of this work is that as much oceanic crust was generated in the Oxfordian, as part of the stage in the Central Atlantic Jurassic opening. This Oxfordian period is characterized by a large positive geomagnetic chron, which explains the absence of polarity changes in the magnetic response for the Gulf of Mexico. Another proposal is that the Sierra de Chiapas is the transpressional front that represents the final stage in the gulf opening and is associated with the edge effect of gravity anomaly that can be observed in the overall gravimetric maps. The proposed model assumes that the magmatic arc causes continental rifting, creating basins containing red beds deposits that are located parallel to the orientation of the arc; these rifting areas evolve to form the subbasins of Chihuahua, Sabinas, and Burgos in the northeast of Mexico and Tampico Misantla, Veracruz, and Southeastern basins in eastern Mexico.

Abstract Of all the countries in the world considered to be oil rich, Mexico is the only one that consistently has been losing production and reserves in the last ten years. Even though Mexico has five major producing provinces: two for oil (the Southeast and the Tampico–Misantla basins) and three for gas (the Sabinas, Burgos and Veracruz basins), and has seven more with potential, (California, Gulf of Cortès, Chihuahua, Sierra Madre Oriental, Sierra de Chiapas, Progreso shelf, and the deep Gulf of Mèxico), its output and reserves have declined consistently. Many reasons can be attributed for these results, and as this note proves, least of them is the country’s endowment of oil and gas resources. The problem is that Mexico, since 1938, has had only one oil company responsible for all of its upstream activities and even though Pemex’s performance is comparable with that of most of the majors’ (it is world’s third largest in terms of production), it is impossible that all the remaining potential of the entire country can be found and produced with only one company, no matter how large, wealthy, efficient, technologically advanced, and successful it can be. The good news is that once the country opens up for third-party participation in exploration, which will eventually take place, results are going to be spectacular. So far there has only been a timid opening for development and exploitation opportunities.