Official Protraction Diagrams (OPDs) And Leasing Maps (LMs) & Supplemental Official OCS Block Diagrams (SOBDs)

Within the Gulf of America, there are two types of maps that depict blocks that could be leased. An older format, known as the Leasing Map, was based on Texas or Louisiana State Plane mapping projections. Leasing Maps were created as oil/gas leasing expanded offshore of Texas and Louisiana.

Eventually the Leasing Maps were projected so far offshore that negative coordinates were required to support the projection. This has created a wide variety of Leasing Maps in projection, shape and overall size, but the blocks remained consistent, and are never larger than the 5760 acres. Because the Leasing Maps reflect so many active leases, they are still being maintained. However, in areas further offshore where Leasing Maps have never been generated, the Official Protraction Diagram (OPD) is used.

A standard OPD is 1 degree in latitude by 2 degrees in longitude (at lower latitudes: 0 - 48 degrees) as in the Gulf of America. OPD limits usually approximate the standard 1:250,000 scale U.S. Geological Survey topographic map series. The OPDs are numbered using the United Nations International Map of the World Numbering System. OPD names usually coincide with standard topographic sheet names when diagrams include land areas. OPD sheet names relate to land features, or to hydrographic features contained within the limits of the diagram. Shoreline planimetric detail is shown when it falls within the limits of a diagram. Older OPDs were prepared on mylar with manual cartographic methods and then scanned into Adobe .pdf files. Newer OPDs were prepared electronically and converted to Adobe .pdf files.

NOTE: Gulf of America Region OPDs that show the Submerged Lands Act and Section 8(g) Zone boundaries do not reflect recent shoreline changes.  These boundaries were permanently immobilized (“fixed”) by actions of the Supreme Court for Louisiana (1981), Mississippi (1990), Alabama (1993), and Texas (1998).  Accordingly, the shoreline associated with these boundaries as shown on the OPDs has not been updated.  The shoreline for the Gulf Coast of Florida as shown on the OPDs was last revised in 1999.

Gulf SOBD Images

A Supplemental Official OCS Block Diagram (SOBD) is prepared for each block intersected by an offshore boundary (Submerged Lands Act Boundary, Limit of "8(g) Zone", National Marine Sanctuaries, etc.). Note that not all OPDs contain such boundaries, therefore not all OPDs have SOBDs associated with them. For the purpose of future Lease Sales, always be sure to use the most recent version.

NOTE: Gulf of America Region SOBDs do not reflect recent shoreline changes.  The Submerged Lands Act and Section 8(g) Zones boundaries were permanently immobilized (“fixed”) by actions of the Supreme Court for Louisiana (1981), Mississippi (1990), Alabama (1993), and Texas (1998).  Accordingly, the boundaries as shown on the SOBDs corresponds to the year that the boundary was fixed.  The shoreline for the Gulf Coast of Florida was last revised in 1999.

Listed in the table below are LMs/OPDs & SOBDs available in PDF format:

Scroll down the page to access individual LMs/OPDs & SOBDs available in PDF format, or click on the map to use the OPD/SOBD finder application:

Other sources for OPDs (also known as PROTRACTION POLYGONS) data are at Geographic Mapping Data.

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Individual Gulf Region "OPDs/Leasing Maps & Supplemental Official Protraction Diagrams (SOBDs)

Western Gulf of America

Central Gulf of America

Eastern Gulf of America