An Analysis of Surface and Subsurface Lineaments and Fractures for Oil and Gas Exploration in the Mid-Continent Region

An extensive literature search was conducted and geological and mathematical analyses were performed to investigate the significance of using surface lineaments and fractures for delineating oil and gas reservoirs in the Mid-Continent region. Tremendous amount of data were acquired including surface lineaments, surface major fracture zones, surface fracture traces, gravity and magnetic lineaments, and Precambrian basement fault systems. An orientation analysis of these surface and subsurface linear features was performed to detect the basic structural grains of the region. The correlation between surface linear features and subsurface oil and gas traps was assessed, and the implication of using surface lineament and fracture analysis for delineating hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Mid-Continent region discussed. It was observed that the surface linear features were extremely consistent in orientation with the gravity and magnetic lineaments and the basement faults in the Mid-Continent region. They all consist of two major sets bending northeast and northwest, representing, therefore, the basic structural grains of the region. This consistency in orientation between the surface and subsurface linear features suggests that the systematic fault systems at the basement in the Mid-Continent region have probably been reactivated many times and have propagated upward all the way to the surface. They may have acted as the loci for the development of other geological structures, including oil and gas traps. Also observed was a strong association both in orientation and position between the surface linear features and the subsurface reservoirs in various parts of the region. As a result, surface lineament and fracture analysis can be used for delineating additional oil and gas reserves in the Mid-Continent region. The results presented in this paper prove the validity and indicate the significance of using surface linear features for inferring subsurface oil and gas reservoirs in the Mid-Continent region. Any new potential oil and gas reservoirs in the Mid-Continent region, if they exist, will be likely associated with the northeast- and northwest-trending surface lineaments and fracture traces in the region