Overpressure at the Macondo Well and its impact on the Deepwater Horizon blowout

At the Macondo well, the overpressure (fluid pressure greater than hydrostatic) in the main reservoir is nearly identical to that within a stratigraphically equivalent sandstone at the Galapagos development 21 miles (34 km) to the south; we interpret that the reservoirs share a permeable, laterally extensive, and hydraulically connected aquifer. At Macondo, pore pressure approximately parallels the overburden stress to a depth of 17,640 ft (5,377 m) subsea and thereafter decreases abruptly by 1,200 psi (8.3 MPa) over 370 ft (113 m) as the main sandstone reservoir is approached. In contrast, at Galapagos, pore pressure increases with the overburden stress for the entire well depth. The pore pressure regression at Macondo was responsible for a reduction in the least principal stress. This, in combination with the extreme pore pressures within overlying strata, drastically narrowed the range of safe operational borehole pressures. These geologic phenomena produced challenging conditions for drilling, prevented successful temporary abandonment of the well, and contributed to the well’s failure.