--> ABSTRACT: Detection and Analysis of Basement Structures in Low-Relief Basins Using Integrated Analysis of Landsat Data, by Z. Berger; #91030 (2010)

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Detection and Analysis of Basement Structures in Low-Relief Basins Using Integrated Analysis of Landsat Data

Z. Berger

A series of examples supported by surface and subsurface controls illustrates a Landsat-based technique for detection of basement structures in low-relief basins. The term "low-relief basin" describes those basins whose structures and related hydrocarbon traps are subtle and difficult to recognize on seismic data. These basins are also characterized by very gentle topography in which either the surface expression of structures is partly obscured by sediments, soil, and/or vegetation, or the structures are completely buried under nearly undeformed sedimentary units. Basement structures that are commonly observed in such basins include: basement warps, such as domes, arches, and sags; and linear fault-related features, such as monoclines, basement steps, and individual faults and fracture zones.

Analysis of these basins is done in several steps. First, Landsat imagery data are used in conjunction with available surface geologic maps to establish the trend, style, and timing of deformation of exposed structures in the region. Then, the imagery is used to identify structural elements than can be traced from the exposed margins into the basin interior, and to determine solitary surface features that may reflect the surface expression of buried structures. The possible association of the surface features identified on the imagery with basement-related structures is then postulated through the analysis of gravity and magnetic data. The final step in analysis is to examine available seismic and well data from the vicinity of key structural elements. A key determination is to establ sh the influence of basement structures and topography on the distribution of potential reservoir rocks in the basin.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91030©1988 AAPG Annual Convention, Houston, Texas, 20-23 March 1988.