Zeroing In on Natural Resources GIS for Customizing Earth Sciences Applications Highlights „ Lineament maps uncover new patterns in the earth’s surface never before documented on geological maps. „ GIS helps increase the success rate of costly drilling activities in search of oil and gas. „ Geologists can analyze data from two to four kilometers beneath the earth’s surface. Hydrocarbon exploration is an expensive, high-risk operation that involves searching for hydrocarbon deposits (like oil and gas) beneath the earth’s surface. Though visible surface features can provide evidence of hydrocarbon generation, most exploration methods depend on highly sophisticated technology to detect and determine the presence of these deposits deep within the earth. In early 2000, there was a significant natural gas discovery in southern New York that led to a boom in hydrocarbon exploration. Shortly after this discovery, MIR Télédétection Inc.—a natural resources consulting firm located in Québec, Canada,—began providing expertise to help target hydrocarbon reservoirs. Among the many services MIR provides are customized earth sciences applications that support hydrocarbon exploration in North America through the capture, integration, and analysis of geologic, remotely sensed, and geoscientific data. Its research plays an integral role in successfully turning leads (structures that may contain or trap hydrocarbons) into prospects (leads that have been fully evaluated and are ready to drill). Through the support of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), MIR developed an integrated approach to hydrocarbon exploration for the southern part of New York. The model leverages ArcGIS and the ArcGIS 3D Analyst extension to structurally analyze surface and subsurface data and target promising areas for exploration. This analysis optimizes the planning of costly seismic surveys—a process by which sound waves are used to create a profile of an area’s substructure. Once a seismic survey has been completed and a prospect identified, exploration wells are drilled to conclusively determine the presence or absence of oil or gas. MIR built its hydrocarbon exploration model by customizing an in-house process to effectively merge surface and subsurface data. A variety of data sources was incorporated to analyze the earth’s surface, including Landsat satellite imagery that offers a multitemporal, multispectral, and multiresolution range of imagery ideal for land-cover analysis. It also incorporated a digital elevation model (DEM) that shows landform arrangements associated with subsurface geologic features. The datasets were orthorectified, mosaicked, and processed through shaded relief techniques to create a detailed representation of the earth’s land cover. Airborne magnetic data sources that monitor variations in the earth’s A 3D snapshot of the hydrocarbon exploration model (shale-lower contact data source: New York State Museum). magnetic field were then integrated, along with gravimetric data (surface interest (or leads) that would serve as target areas piles of flat-lying rock units were sculpted by point measurements), to analyze the earth’s sub- for detailed seismic surveys. By linking this in- rivers, resulting in valleys that had previously structure and identify deep source basement fault formation to subsurface data, the geologists were been mistaken for surface fractures. According to geometry (rocks that exist below younger sedi- able to identify connections between the earth’s MIR’s research, these fractures likely extend deep mentary rocks). By integrating these data sources, land cover and fractures deep within the earth’s down beneath the surface and crosscut porous MIR geologists could create subsurface layers and crust that date back more than a billion years. rocks—information that is critical to hydrocarbon study data from two to four kilometers beneath the “The extension provided a simple method for exploration. These new lineament-based structural earth’s surface. Using ArcGIS 3D Analyst, MIR viewing surface and subsurface data so that we maps are leveraged to optimize seismic survey was able to achieve a three-dimensional view of could easily identify correlations between surface planning and increase the success rate of costly the hydrocarbon exploration model, showing lineament corridors and subsurface geophysical drilling activities in New York and the province of spatial relationships between surface landform discontinuities,” says Michel Rheault, president, Québec. patterns and deep subsurface fault zones (which MIR. “We were then able to extrapolate the surrefer to rock fractures), along with their potential face geologic interpretation and propose new fault More Information control on sediment deposition. zones that may contribute to reservoir generation For more information, contact Michel Rheault, ArcGIS was leveraged to represent the data in a or trap hydrocarbons deep within the earth.” MIR Télédétection Inc. (e-mail: mrheault@ series of lineament maps that highlighted fracture MIR’s structural maps uncovered new patterns mirteledetection.com; tel.: 450-651-1104, ext. 22; patterns on the earth’s surface. Geologists used in the earth’s surface that had never been identi- Web: www.mirteledetection.com). filtering methods to highlight specific features of fied on existing geologic maps. For example, Start with data you can believe in. Mandalay, Myanmar Latitude 21° 57‘ North, Longitude 96° 9‘ East DeLorme World Base Map provides seamless, horizontally-accurate base maps upon which to build an effective, compelling and affordable GIS. See how DeLorme’s unique experience in data creation, software, and GPS can help your business. www.delorme.com/DigitalMapData DELORME Data • GIS • GPS