Mid-Continent Section

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Industry Contributions to the Oklahoma Fault Database

Abstract

The Oklahoma Geological Survey has recently created a statewide fault database with data sourced from publications, new field mapping, and contributions from industry. The objectives of this database are to: 1. Identify significant surface and particularly subsurface faults; 2. Identify faults from published literature and from industry contributions with a focus on metadata and quality of data method; and 3. Create fault maps to be used for research, the public, industry, and state agencies. One of the more interesting aspects of our fault database is the inclusion of data voluntarily contributed by industry that, while interpreted from recent 3D seismic surveys, raised it own set of challenges. These challenges include: the definition of ‘significant’ faults, the method of interpretation, proprietary and regulatory concerns, as well as technical and bureaucratic issues. Another major challenge was collecting metadata due to time, resources, and knowledge (GIS vs. geophysics). We established a balance between forcing a rigid metadata requirement and making the process of contributing valuable data readily approachable. The fault database will be an ongoing process but will be ready for initial release as an Oklahoma Geological Survey Open-File Report. This will include both an interpreted fault map and an accompanying digital database that will show all industry-contributed faults.