This experiment was designed to determine the types and amounts of information valuable to petroleum exploration extractable from ERTS data and the cost of obtaining the information using traditional or conventional means. It was desired that an evaluation of this new petroleum exploration tool be made in a geologically well known area in order to assess its usefulness in an unknown area. The Anadarko Basin lies in western Oklahoma and the panhandle of Texas. It was chosen as a test site because there is a great deal of published information available on the surface and subsurface geology of the area, and there are many known structures that act as traps for hydrocarbons. This basin is similar to several other large epicontinental sedimentary basins. It was found that ERTS imagery is an excellent tool for reconnaissance exploration of large sedimentary basins or new exploration provinces. For the first time, small and medium size oil companies can rapidly and effectively analyze exploration provinces as a whole

Collins, R. J.

Everett, J. R.

Mccown, F. P.

Petzel, G.

Stonis, L. P.

English

The author has identified the following significant results. ERTS-1 data give exploration geologists a new perspective for looking at the earth. The data are excellent for interpreting regional lithologic and structural relationships and quickly directing attention to areas of greatest exploration interest. Information derived from ERTS data useful for petroleum exploration include: linear features, general lithologic distribution, identification of various anomalous features, some details of structures controlling hydrocarbon accumulation, overall structural relationships, and the regional context of the exploration province. Many anomalies (particularly geomorphic anomalies) correlate with known features of petroleum exploration interest. Linears interpreted from the imagery that were checked in the field correlate with fractures. Bands 5 and 7 and color composite imagery acquired during the periods of maximum and minimum vegetation vigor are best for geologic interpretation. Preliminary analysis indicates that use of ERTS imagery can substantially reduce the cost of petroleum exploration in relatively unexplored areas

Petzel, G. J.

NASA Technical Reports Server

An evaluation of the suitability of ERTS data for the purposes of petroleum exploration

Paper G 17 
I 
AN EVALUATION OF THE SUITABILITY OF ERTS DATA FOR THE PURPOSES OF 
PETROLEUM EXPLORATION 
Robert J. Collins, F. P, McCown, L. P. Stonis, Gerald Petzel and John R. Everett 
I. INTRODUCTION 
0 The overal l  objective o f  t h i s  experiment i s  t o  determine the 
types and amounts o f  information valuable t o  petroleum ex- 
p lorat ion extractable from ERTS data and the cost o f  obtaining 
the information using t rad i t iona l  o r  conventional means. 
I n  part icular,  we wanted t o  evaluate t h i s  new petroleum ex- 
p lorat ion too l  i n  a geologically well known area i n  order t o  
assess i t s  usefulness i n  an unknown area. 
current energy s i tuat ion,  we fee l  tha t  such an evaluation i s  
important i n  an e f f o r t  to: 
I n  l i g h t  o f  the 
e Best u t i l i z e  technical e f f o r t  w i th  customary 
exploration too ls  by rap id ly  focusing 
at tent ion on the most promising areas; 
e Reduce the time required t o  go through the 
exploration cycle; 
e Maximize the cost savings i n  both o f  these. 
* Eason O i l  Company, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 
** Earth Sa te l l i t e  Corporation, Washington, D.C. 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19740022649 2020-03-17T15:06:19+00:00Z
11. DESCRIPTION OF TEST SITE 
o The Anadarko Basin lies i n  western Oklahoma and the panhandle 
of Texas. 
great deal of published information available on the surface 
and subsurface geology o f  the area; there are many known 
structures t h a t  act as traps for hydrocarbons. The Anadarko 
Basin i s  similar t o  several other large epicontinental sedi- 
mentary basins. Eason's geologists know the area well, and 
it  i s  convenient for our offices i n  Oklahoma City. 
0 
I t  was chosen as a tes t  s i te  because there is a 
o 
Climate, Vegetation and Terrain 
0 As a result of climatic variation across the si te,  native 
vegetation ranges from scrub oak i n  the east, seen i n  this 
slide, t o  short prairie grass and sage i n  the west. 
0 The entire area is extensively farmed and ranched, and divided 
along township and range survey lines. This imposes a north- 
south and east-west cultural and vegetation pattern over the 
area. 
o The eastern part of the area i s  characterized by gently rol l ing 
hills w i t h  a local relief of 60 meters. 
topography consists of megas and undissected uplands w i t h  
sharply incised canyons producing local relief of up to 
400 meters. 
o In the west, the 
810 
Geology 
0 The basin is  a large west-northwest trending a 
syncline w i t h  the south flank much steeper than the north 
flank. The axis of the basin where the Kodachrome was 
taken l ies  about 40 kilometers north o f  the Wichita 
Mountains, seen i n  the distance, which exposes early 
Cambrian crystalline rocks. 0 The basin i s  f i l led w i t h  
approximately 7,000 meters of l a te  Pre-Cambrian and early 
Cambrian sedimentary and layered igneous rocks. The 
Paleozoic rocks include approximately 5,000 meters o f  Pre- 
Pennsylvanian 1 imestone, shale and sandstone, approximately 
5,000 meters of Pennsylvanian clastic sedimentary rocks 
deposited during rapid subsidence and orogenic deformation, 
and approximately 1,000 meters o f  Permian rocks, mostly red 
beds and evaporites accumulated during la te  gentle subsidence 
marked by periods of restricted circulation. 
0 Rocks a t  the surface include gently d ipping  Permian red beds 
and evaporites i n  the eastern half of the area. Tertiary 
continental c las t ic  rocks of the Ogallala formation cover the 
western part. Quaternary deposits occur along major rivers 
and i n  large areas of wind-borne sand on the uplands. 
0 Most of the structures that trap hydrocarbons (marked by 
colored dots) were created during the intermittent tectonism 
that began i n  ear l ies t  Pennsylvanian time and continued into 
earliest  Permian time. Many of these traps are located i n  the 
811 
highly deformed f ron ta l  zone nor th  o f  the Wichita- 
Amarillo Mountain trend. 
Exploration f o r  s t ruc tu ra l l y  trapped hydrocarbons i n  the 
basin i s  exceedingly d i f f i c u l t  because the important 
structures are buried by 300 t o  1,000 meters o f  essen- 
t i a l  l y  undeformed Permian and younger rocks. Surface 
features tha t  r e f l e c t  the deeply buried structures are 
extremely subtle and may be interrupted by much younger 
solut ion collapse structures. 
w 
Our hypothesis was tha t  the synoptic view provided by 
ERTS imagery might allow in tegrat ion o f  a su f f i c i en t  
number o f  these subtle features so as to ,  i n  ef fect ,  see 
the deeply buried structures through the overlying rocks. 
e Intensive petroleum exploration i n  the basin began i n  
1917. However, i t  i s  only during the past 5 years tha t  
the deeper portions o f  the basin have received extensive 
exploration attention. The deepest well i n  the world, 
the Lone Star 81, Baden,with a t o t a l  depth o f  30,050 feet, 
completed d r i l l i n g  l a s t  year west o f  the E l k  City f i e ld .  
It i s  a $5 m i l l i o n  dry hole. 
111. TECHNICAL ANALYSIS 
From a t o t a l  o f  49 ERTS scenes received, we interpreted 16 
scenes i n  black and white and co lor  composite form. The 
812 
remaining 33 scenes are o f  l im i ted  use because they are 
peripheral t o  our t e s t  s i t e  o r  they contain a high per- 
centage o f  cloud cover. o We interpreted paper pr ints,  
transparencies, mosaics, and d i g i  tally-enhanced imagery. 
This i s  an opt ica l  enhancement, color combining Bands 5, 
6, and 7. 
and l inears l i k e  these. e This frame combines and 
o f fse ts  a negative o f  Band 6 and a pos i t i ve  o f  Band 7, 
emphasizing l inears l i k e  these.. . 0 The MSS imagery was 
interpreted f o r  a var ie ty  o f  features. These include 
l i nea r  features, 0 l i tho logy,  0 tonal, textura l  
and closed anomalies, and a var ie ty  o f  other features 
such as drainage and topography. We interpreted a l l  four 
MSS bands and co lor  composites. This has resul ted i n  more 
than 120 ind iv idual  interpretat ions.  
It brings out closed anomalies such as these.... 
From these frame-by-frame studies, we went i n  two directions. 
One approach was t o  focus our a t tent ion on small areas 
selected by ERTS in te rpre ta t ion  and on the basis o f  known o i l  
and gas explorat ion interest .  The second approach was to  
compile the various in terpretat ions i n t o  regional overlays. 
The regional compilations, selected s i t e  studies, and in te r -  
pretat ions o f  ind iv idual  frames were analyzed and compared t o  
ex is t ing  information. The information included published maps 
and reports, aux i l i a ry  imagery, and interviews w i th  geologists 
i n  Oklahoma. 
813 
I V .  RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS 
Evaluation o f  Imagery 
0 Bands 5 and 7 together have the greatest v e r s a t i l i t y  and 
widest range o f  eas i ly  extractable information. Bands 
5 and 7 are generally o f  high overal l  contrast and, i n  
fact, the contrasts are frequently reversed between the 
two. 
However, a l l  bands must be care fu l l y  interpreted i n  order 
t o  derive the maximum amount and kinds o f  geologic i n fo r -  
mation. Each band contains d i f f e ren t  features which are 
more eas i ly  detectable than on the other bands. On t h i s  
i l l u s t r a t i o n  you can see l inears interpreted f rom Band 7 
o f  t h i s  scene. 0 Combining t h i s  successively wi th  
Bands 5 and 4, you can see Band 5 l inears such as A and B 
which were added t o  the in terpretat ion previously done 
from Band 7. Linears C and D were v i s ib le  on Band 4, but 
not on Band 5 o r  Band 7. 
0 Seasonal differences increase the amount o f  information 
available from ERTS. We have found tha t  imagery o f  extremes 
o f  vegetation growth, t ha t  is ,  maximum vigor and maximum 
die-back, t o  be most useful. However, so many subtle but 
important differences appear throughout the year tha t  study 
o f  imagery from an en t i re  year o r  even several years i s  
necessary f o r  optimum results. We w i l l  next look a t  in te r -  
pretat ion o f  the area shown here ..... e and i n  t h i s  
814 
view. This i s  the Cimnaron River, North and South Canadian, 
a badlands area, and a gent ly r o l l i n g  upland. 0 This 
i l l u s t r a t i o n  compares our in terpretat ion o f  in fer red 
l i tho log ies  made from spring and f rom f a l l  imagery. 
Area A demonstrates the great amount o f  de ta i l  frequently 
obtained from spring imagery which i s  near-absent i n  the 
f a l l .  Points B and C locate boundaries interpreted from f a l l  
imagery, but  not seen i n  the spring. A t  D you w i l l  note 
more detai led and precise locat ion o f  a l i t h o l o g i c  boundary 
on spring coverage. Boundary E, while noted on both images, 
i s  more conf ident ly drawn from f a l l  imagery. 
Sumnary o f  ERTS-1 In terpretat ion 
Using ERTS-1 imagery, we have defined the major features o f  the 
Anadarko Basin and ref ined our understanding o f  many smaller 
areas w i th in  our t e s t  s i te .  
0 Regional analysis o f  the in fer red l i t ho log i c  d i s t r i bu t i on  
defines the general features o f  the basin. This map was com- 
p i l e d  from interpretatQon o f  ERTS Band 7 imagery without 
reference to exis t ing maps. 0 Here i s  a generalized 
geol ogi c map f o r  compari son. 
0 Analysis indicates a gentle south d ip  on 
the north f lank o f  the basin. The d i p  
becomes southwesterly as one moves east, 
i nd i cd t i  ng a plunging basin. 
815 
0 Outcrop width on two sides o f  the basin 
shows asynmetry. 
0 Horizontal rocks cover the west end uncon- 
f ormabl y . 
0 Basement rock outcrops and alignments 
def ine the Wichita U p l i f t  on the south. 
0 Our study defined several regional sets o f  l inears.  F i e l d  
checks ind ica te  these l inears  represent f ractures.  The sets 
trending approximately N 40 W (yellow) and N 80 W (green), i n  
par t icu lar ,  are associated wi th  o r  cont ro l  many o f  the struc- 
t u r a l  hydrocarbon f i e l d s .  e A few f i e l d s  are located by 
the dots. The N 30 E set  (blue) coincides w i t h  the edges of 
so lu t ion col lapse areas and w i t h  the edges o f  a large t h i n  
area shown i n  a thickness map o f  Middle-Pennsylvanian rocks 
on the nor th  f lank  o f  the basin. The nor th  t o  N 10 W set  o f  
l i n e a r s  (brown) i s  associated w i t h  the Amarillo-Wichita U p l i f t  
on the south side o f  the s i te .  These associat ions suggest 
t h a t  the regional l inears  are e i t h e r  f a u l t s  o r  fau l t - re la ted  
features which have been ac t ive  i n  the past and contro l  the 
loca t ion  o f  many s t ruc tu ra l  hydrocarbon traps. 
0 This diagram locates known and hypothesized f a u l t s  and l inears  
within the basin. 0 Here, we have over la id  our working 
in te rpre ta t ion  o f  l inears  made on f a l l  imagery and have 
816 
marked i n  red the places where our in terpretat ions match 
o r  extend the diagramed l inears.  
The regional map o f  anomalies a lso  was compared t o  other 
per t inent  information. We were able t o  locate most 
known structures o f  i n t e r e s t  on ERTS imagery p r i o r  t o  
r e f e r r i n g  t o  e x i s t i n g  data. e On one composite overlay 
o f  f a l l  imagery we counted 76 anomalous features. We 
c l a s s i f i e d  these as geomorphic, tonal , and "hazy" areas. 
These "hazy" areas appear on the imagery as i f  image 
d e t a i l  had been smudged o r  p a r t i a l l y  erased. They are not  
a r t i f a c t s .  O f  76 anomalies, 59 cor re la te  w i t h  producing 
o i l  and gas f ie lds ,  11. are on known but  non-producing struc- 
tures, and the remaining 6 could no t  be correlated w i t h  
known features. O f  35 ''hazy" anbmalies, 33 cor re la te  w i t h  
producing f i e l d s  o r  d r i l l e d  structures. Ow a recent com- 
p i la t ion ,  42 o f  a t o t a l  o f  57 "hazy" areas occur where pro- 
ducing f i e l d s  ex is t .  Six addi t ional  areas cor re la te  w i t h  
known but  non-productive structures. 0 Several "hazy" 
anomalies are shown on t h i s  i l l u s t r a t i o n  along w i t h  a few 
tona 
same 
Next 
i s  a 
, tex tura l  and geomorphic anomalies. e Here i s  the 
scene without the overlay. 
we w i l l  look a t  an a i r  photo o f  t h i s  area. 0 This 
co lo r  i n f r a r e d  photo taken from 60,000 feet;  i t  i s  15 
mi les across. The ERTS "hazy" area i s  outl ined. A f t e r  
study o f  a l l  a i r  photographs taken over the ''hazy1t areas, 
817 
we conclude they cannot be recognized except on 
ERTS imagery. 
We have studied small areas selected from the anomaly 
maps, from published reports, and a t  the suggestion 
o f  our petroleum geologists. I n  every instance, we 
f ind t h a t  focusing our a t ten t ion  i n  t h i s  fashion 
increases the d e t a i l  we perceive i n  an area. Our i n -  
terpretat ions occasional ly d i f f e r  somewhat from sug- 
gested or  published analyses. I n  a few instances, 
potably over the Cement-Chickasha f ie lds,  we can add 
d e t a i l s  t o  the known st ructure but  have not  been able 
t o  conf ident ly  def ine these large features, which are 
f a i r l y  shallow, strongly folded and fau l ted  structures. 
0 Some o f  our in terpretat ions c lose ly  match conven- 
t i o n g l  in te rpre ta t ions  as a t  the Mobeetie f i e l d .  I t s  
closed s t ructure and fau l ted  nature can be seen here, 
0 as wel l  as i n  our ERTS in terpretat ion.  I n  sum, 
in te rpre ta t ion  o f  ERTS imagery enables us t o  locate 
areas f o r  more de ta i led  analysis on ERTS and f o r  a e r i a l  
photographic and geophysical studies. 
Auxi 1 i ary Imagery 
A u x i l i a r y  imagery, p a r t i c u l a r l y  high a1 t i t u d e  a e r i a l  
photography, i s  exceedingly valuable t o  studies o f  ERTS 
data. The side-looking, airborne radar and thermal 
in f ra red  imagery we used, despite t h e i r  general ly poor 
818 
V. 
quality, proved of value i n  defining, locating and 
understanding linear and geomorphic features. High 
altitude, small-scale, mu1 tiband, aerial photography 
provides a means of understanding local image responses 
and patterns seen on ERTS imagery. I t  provides a means 
of verifying and refining interpretations and relating 
field observations t o  ERTS imagery. The photography 
provides details  on features which are best inter- 
preted i n  the regional context provided by ERTS. 
APPLICATION TO PETROLEUM EXPLORATION AND COSTS 
We have found that the ERTS imagery i s  an excellent tool 
for reconnaissance exploration of large sedimentary basins 
or new exploration provinces. The imagery allows rapid 
interpretation o f  large features and quickly focuses 
attention on anomalous areas. For the first time, small 
and medium size oil  companies can rapidly and effectively 
analyze exploration provinces as a whole. 
e Let me l i s t  specific types o f  information derived from 
ERTS that are useful for petroleum exploration: 
e There is a vast quantity of information 
on linear features -- much more than is 
generally available, even on large-scale 
maps. 
819 
o Many of the general lithologic relation- 
ships that are known t o  exist i n  the 
basin are visible on the imagery. 
e A large number o f  closed anomalies of 
various types appear on the imagery. The 
majority of these correlated w i t h  known 
structural features or o i l  and gas fields. 
0 Many of the details of the structures con- 
trol 1 i ng hydrocarbon accumulation are 
visible i n  the imagery, once one’s attention 
is directed t o  a particular area. 
0 The overall structure of the basin and 
many of the major internal structures are 
visible on the imagery. 
e The imagery provides overall geologic con- 
text of the exploration province. 
Cost Analysis 
So much for ERTS data and information i t se l f .  How does 
the cost of a petroleum exploration program employing ERTS 
compare t o  a standard program? Because of a variety o f  
options available f o r  obtaining reconnaissance geological 
and geophysical data, cost comparisons are difficult .  
820 
Moreover, the types o f  data obtained by the two approaches 
are not  prec ise ly  comparable. 
Savings produced by incorporat ing ERTS i n t o  an explorat ion 
program might be 20% t o  50% o f  the cost o f  a standard 
survey. The savings would be made p r i m a r i l y  by reducing 
the amount o f  seismic and other geophysical surveys needed. 
The ERTS approach would also grea t ly  reduce the time required 
f o r  regional reconnaissance and analysis o f  the basin and 
would conserve technical  manpower. 
a d o l l a r  f i g u r e  t o  e i t h e r  o f  these types o f  savings. 
It i s  d i f f i c u l t  t o  assign 
I n  conclusion, we should mention several questions which 
requi re more study. We need t o  determine the exact nature 
and source o f  several anomaly types, p a r t i c u l a r l y  "hazy" 
areas. Are the anomalies man-made o r  man-induced? Are they 
geochemically-induced s o i l  o r  vegetation ef fects ,  o r  merely 
fo r tu i tous? 
hydrocarbon provinces, unique, o r  ubiquitous? What anomalies 
are re la ted  t o  s t ra t ig raph ic  o i l  and gas traps? Which t o  
s t ruc tu ra l  t raps? What aspects o f  t h i s  study apply t o  other 
deformed sedimentary basins? And, f i n a l l y ,  what savings w i l l  
r e s u l t  from incorporat ion o f  Earth Resources Sate1 15 t e  data 
i n t o  an actual explorat ion program? 
Are the "hazy" anomalies charac ter is t i c  o f  
Thank you. 
821 


An evaluation of the suitability of ERTS data for the purposes of petroleum exploration

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

NASA Technical Reports Server

NASA Technical Reports Server