Non-seismic geophysics compared and integrated with seismic in a frontier oil play: Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains/Northeast San Luis Basin, Colorado
- MBL Inc., Denver, CO (United States)
- Chinook Geoconsulting Inc., Evergreen, CO (United States)
- Priority Oil & Gas, Denver, CO (United States); and others
Four non-seismic geophysical tools have made a significant contribution to a new geological interpretation of the northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains/northeast San Luis Basin of south-central Colorado. Gravity, aeromagnetic, magnetotelluric, (MT) and time domain electromagnetic (TDEM) data were acquired and interpreted during the early stages of exploration. Two-dimensional modeling of the gravity and magnetics placed the main, basin-bounding fault three miles southwest of the mountain front, identified an intermediate fault block at the basin margin and identified a thick sequence of non-magnetic, intermediate density rocks on top of this block. A thick section of Mesozoic sediments is interpreted, supported by the discovery of outcrops of Cretaceous sediments and live Cretaceous oil. Magnetotelluric data was acquired to confirm the presence of Mesozoic sediments and depth to basement. Detailed TDEM data has been useful in correlating the MT with surface geology. Integration of the gravity, magnetic and MT data with seismic resulted in minor modifications to the new geological model.
- OSTI ID:
- 86666
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9507131-; ISSN 0149-1423; TRN: 95:004859-0069
- Journal Information:
- AAPG Bulletin, Vol. 79, Issue 6; Conference: American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) Rocky Mountain Section meeting, Reno, NV (United States), 16-19 Jul 1995; Other Information: PBD: Jun 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
{open_quotes}Black Gold{close_quotes} leads to new structural interpretation, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains/Northeast San Luis Basin
Minturn and Sangre de Cristo Formations of southern Colorado: a prograding fan-delta to alluvial-fan sequence shed from ancestral Rocky Mountains