Abstract: Utility of using ground-penetrating radar for near surface
high-resolution
imaging of Lansing-Kansas City (Pennsylvanian)
limestone reservoir analogs
MARTINEZ, ALEX, Kansas Geological Survey, Lawrence, KS; JOSEPH M. KRUGER, Department of Geology, Idaho State University; and EVAN K. FRANSEEN, Kansas Geological Survey, Lawrence, KS
Summary
High-resolution
ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a subsurface
imaging tool that can extend results gained from reservoir analog
outcrop studies into three dimensions and add detailed information
about reservoir analogs that is unavailable from either seismic
data or well control alone in order to provide quantitative data
for modeling. Integration of GPR reflection information and outcrop
photomosaics can allow detailed study of subtle changes in
lithology and bedding surfaces by observing lateral and
vertical
changes in GPR reflection character. Outcrops of three
Lansing-Kansas City group limestone units which produce in the
subsurface elsewhere - the Captain Creek Limestone, the Plattsburg
Limestone, and the Drum Limestone were used as test sites for
determining the
vertical
imaging
resolution
, penetration depth, and
reflection character of high-frequency (500 MHz) GPR in limestones.
Features as small as 0.1-0.2 m, including major architectural
elements such as bounding surfaces, and internal features such as
fractures and crossbedding, were successfully imaged. Shale can
sometimes be helpful in GPR studies. For example, variations in GPR
reflection character from thin shale seams at bedding contacts of
arillaceous limestone units in the subsurface increased imaging
resolution
. Successful results from this study indicate that GPR is
a powerful tool for high-
resolution
imaging and quantification of
stratigraphic architectural elements in 3D, especially in locations
where outcrop data is sparse.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90937©1998 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, Salt Lake City, Utah