After reading Chapter 5, ‘The Sedimentary Archives’, you get to practice playing petroleum geologist with Paydirt Oil Company. Four parcels of continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico south of Louisiana are being offered for lease. Your company is willing to lease only one parcel. The exploration manager asks you to recommend the best parcel to lease. Submit a possible solution to this problem.

You know the area is underlain by the Gusher Sandstone. The formation has yielded petroleum in adjacent areas. The formation slopes gently toward the southeast. Cores from a few wells drilled into the Gusher Sandstone reveal grain sizes shown on the map in millimeters. Based on grain size alone, which parcel should your company lease? What additional information do you need to support your recommendation?