Abstract: Industry-Government Research Partnerships: An Example from the Mississippian of Eastern Kentucky

HARRIS, DAVID C., and THOMAS N. SPARKS

In 1994 an industry-funded research partnership was formed with the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) to address the common exploration need for high-quality, consistent geologic data for interpretation. The project focused on the Mississippian Newman Limestone (Big Lime) in eastern Kentucky where production is often stratigraphically controlled. A collaborative project was designed to collect stratigraphic tops for selected wells in eastern Kentucky, and enter the data into a digital database compatible with computer-mapping software.

The KGS database has records for more than 30,000 wells drilled to the Newman Limestone or deeper in eastern Kentucky. Wells were ranked by a computer to select newer records with better data. To reduce clustering of data, the study area was divided into one minute latitude/longitude cells, and the two highest ranking wells in each cell were selected. This process resulted in a data set of approximately 8,000 wells, with higher-quality data and a more uniform distribution than the original KGS database. As many as 13 stratigraphic tops were collected per well, and the data source (geophysical log or driller's log) was recorded as an indication of data quality. To ensure consistent correlations, a stratigraphic framework was first established using 14 regional cross sections. Data were collected from records on file in the Geologic Data Center at KGS, and entered into a computer database. A total of 62,709 tops from 7,713 wells was collected during the 2-year project.

The terms of the partnership allowed the database to remain confidential to the three funding companies for 1 year, but it is now available to the public. The project resulted in a substantial increase in available digital stratigraphic data for eastern Kentucky, benefiting the funding partners and the industry as a whole. It serves as an example of the mutual benefits of industry and government research cooperation.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90939©1997 AAPG Eastern Section and TSOP, Lexington, Kentucky