Abstract: Application of Dipmeter Data to Structurally Complex Areas in the Mid-Continent

EHINGER, ROBERT F.

Dipmeter tools provide a practical method to determine the true strike and dip of strata within a single borehole. In a vertical borehole structural dips have to approach 20 degrees before they are recognized by stratigraphic expansion. If the borehole deviates in an updip direction, then the dips can approach 30 degrees before they produce observable stratigraphic expansion. By using dipmeter calculations with a reducing copy machine, expanded stratigraphic intervals can be corrected to a normal section even when the dips exceed 60 degrees. The corrected intervals can aid in stratigraphic correlations, identify fault blocks, and quantify the internal geometry of complex folds. "Stick plots" which can be generated from dipmeter data integrate effectively with other subsurface tools especially seismic data. Various examples of dipmeter applications, types of data output, and factors that influence data quality will be presented. Even though dipmeters for the Mid-Continent area have been available for almost fifty years, they are still under utilized on many exploration projects.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90944©1997 AAPG Mid-Continent Section Meeting, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma