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Which mineral resources are extracted from the Gulf of Mexico continental shelf?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Map of the Gulf of Mexico showing surrounding regions of the United States, Mexico, Cuba, and the Yucatan Peninsula. The map highlights underwater features such as shelves, escarpments, canyons, and the Mexico Basin, with varying shades of blue indicating water depths. Major coastal cities like Houston, New Orleans, Tampa, and Havana are labeled, and spot depths are marked in meters.
Gulf of Mexico / Gulf of America

The continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico is a significant source of several mineral resources, which have been developed extensively since the 1940s.1

The primary resources extracted from this region include:

  • Petroleum and Natural Gas: Large deposits of these fuels are associated with buried salt domes found on the shelf and the continental slope. The region is a major hub for offshore drilling, particularly off the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, and the Bay of Campeche in Mexico.21
  • Sulfur: This mineral is extracted from wells specifically located on the continental shelf off the coast of Louisiana.31
  • Oyster Shells: Harvested from shallow waters, bays, and estuaries, these shells serve as a source of calcium carbonate for the chemical industry and are also utilized as construction material for roads.31