Geobotanical and lineament analysis of sandsat satellite imagery for hydrocarbon microseeps
Both geobotanical and structural interpretations of remotely sensed data tend to be plagued by random associations. However, a combination of these methods has the potential to provide a methodology for excluding many false associations. To test this approach, a test site in West Virginia has been studied using remotely sensed and field data. The historic Volcano Oil Field, in Wood, Pleasants and Ritchie Counties was known as an area of hydrocarbon seeps in the last century. Although pressures in the reservoir are much reduced today, hydrocarbons remain in the reservoir. An examination of a multi-seasonal Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery has shown little difference between the forests overlying the hydrocarbon reservoirs compared to the background areas, with the exception of an image in the very early fall. This image has been enhanced using an nPDF spectral transformation that maximizes the contrast between the anomalous and background areas. A field survey of soil gas chemistry showed that hydrocarbon concentration is generally higher over the anomalous region. In addition, soil gas hydrocarbon concentration increases with proximity to linear features that cross the strike of the overall structure of the reservoir. Linear features that parallel the strike, however, do not have any discernible influence on gas concentration. Field spectral measurements were made periodically through the summer and early fall to investigate the origin of the spectral reflectance anomaly. Measurements were made with a full-range spectro-radiometer (400 nm to 2500 nm) on a number of different species, both on and off the spectral anomaly. The results lend support to the finding that in the early fall spectral reflectance increases in the near infrared and mid infrared in the spectrally anomalous regions.
- Research Organization:
- West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States). Dept. of Geology and Geography
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG21-95MC32159
- OSTI ID:
- 568287
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/MC/32159-97/C0887; CONF-970367-; ON: DE97054238
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Natural gas conference, Houston, TX (United States), 24-27 Mar 1997; Other Information: PBD: [1997]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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