Remote Sensing Techniques and Petroleum Exploration
Remote Sensing Detection of Oil and Gas
The remote sensing detection of petroleum is based on the characteristic analogy and analysis of remote sensing information from known oil fields. The thinking way is as follows: micro-seeping of hydrocarbon-> ground effect-> remote sensing detection is certainly gainful. The following regulations are concluded from the characteristics of remote sensing images of divers oil fields in east China : special color tones -> spectral and geochemical
characteristics --> geomorphological features -- > underground geological structures ---> inexorable relations exis-ting among oil and gas fields. In 1985, we made same prediction on the west slope and NS trend structural zone of the Dongpu sag of zhong-yuan region and some commercial oil flows have been discovered in succession.
Figure 2 Geological Interpretation of the Compositionally Processed Landsat Image for the Liaohe Dpression Legend:
1-Pre-Cretaceous Outcrops;
2-Pre-Sinian Hidden Uplift Area;
3-Paleozoic and Partial Mesozoic Basement;
4-Mesozoic Slope or Basement;
5-Local Uplift;
6-Local Sag;
7-Obvious Linear Structure
8-Linear Structure;
9-Vast Circular Structure;
10-Lake and River
Dongpu sag is a Mesozoic-Cenozoic structural basin with an area of 5,000 sq km . Its main part is located in the contact region of Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong and Henan provinces . The exploration targets are 3,000-5,000 m deep, covered by the quaternary sediments over 130m thick. The east part of the sag is strictly controlled by the Lan-Liao fault. The basement consists of paleozoic and some Archaeozoic metamorphic rocks. Just as gravity and magnetic data revealed, the basement is a NE trend monoclinal structure that was formed by abrupt insertion of Neihuang uplift from NW to SE under thick sediments of Mesozoic and Cenozoic and complicated by late faults. The burial depth of east sag basement can reach 9,000m. But the basement beyond Lan-Liao fault in the east is slightly shallow, and become a component of west end of Luxi uplift. The light color image map in the west side of Lan-Liao fault belt, there is an abnormal zone about 25-30km wide and 200 km long, the abnormal zone is from qixian in Henan province in the south to Lankao and Dongming in the north, extending into shandong province by Nanle and Fanxian. The special image anomaly is similar with the image characteristics of many known oil fields, having same geological backgrounds, thus , it is considered as an important part of ground effect resulted from micro-seeping of hydrocarbon based on analogy and analysis, and predicted as a favourable oil and gas area. The exploration in the recent 3-4 years proves that the predicted area is the region to increase oil reserve in the sag. The area has been put into production.
We made interpretation and analysis for petroleum geological conditions of remote sensing images of Liaohe subasin in 1988 again, the success rate of predictive area, commercial oil flows have been gained. This can prove that the remote sensing detection has bright prospects. Particularly, the microscopic and scientific analysis has been made from geochemical fields of ground effect of hydrocarbon micro-seeping and geophysical fields including ground effect of micro-seeping, this provide reliable evidences for the remote sensing detection. But it is necessary to point out that the above principles are dependent on special geological backgrounds. If the detection is expected to achieve the best results, some detailed petroleum geological conditions and certain geographic environments must be considered.
The above practices indicate that the application of remote sensing techniques in petroleum exploration has bright prospects and will become an indispensable method, shortening period of oil exploration saving exploration investment and raising economic benifit.
References
-
Ye H. and Qui X., Petroleum Anmalysis of remote Sensing Images in Liaohe Basin and its Vicinities . National resource Remote sensing studies Vol. PP 13, 1990.
- Ye H. and Cao X., collections of reports on new Theory, New method , new techniques in Petroleum Exploration. Application of Remote Sensing in petroleum Exploration in Dongpu Sag Ocean Press , Beijing, PP 150, 1989.
- Ye Hefei et al, The Initial Application of the satellite Remote Sensing Image for the Investigation and of the structure of the Gas-Oil bearing Field of Mesozoic and Cenozoic of Henan, Proceelings of the Bejing International Symposium on Remote Sensing . 1986.
