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Evaluate Your Prospect Before You Buy or
Drill
With Digital Spectral Satellite Maps
Mammoth Geophysical is
pleased to announce the development of its oil & gas locating Digital
Spectral Satellite Maps (DSSM).
New! Sample Report (PDF)
The example shown below
shows an actual Digital Spectral Satellite Map interpretation around
the Millers Chapel Area in Overton County, Tennessee as it appeared in 1977.
The wells shown were drilled after 1977. The other Spectral map
interpretation shows the same area in 2003 after over 25 years of
production. Note the dramatic change in color patterns and that very few
successful wells were drilled outside the “good” areas predicted in the 1977
map. This example is only one of many proven success stories using our
Spectral maps.
 
(Click map images for larger
views)
How DSSM Works
Hydrocarbon micro-seepage
occurs over long time periods (relative to vegetation lifespans) so they
don't actually produce the usual "stress" in vegetation. Rather, the
hydrocarbon presence produces structural changes in vegetation (e.g.,
changes in species, plant distribution, crown density, leaf structure, or
apparent vigor - dwarfs or giants). These changes, over an actively seeping
area, produce subtle changes in spectral reflectivity.
Each chemical element and
molecular compound has a unique spectral signature. Thus we can
spectrally identify areas altered by hydrocarbon seepage. The digital
spectral data available in many of today’s earth orbiting satellites
allows more precise detection and differentiation of alteration produced by
seeping hydrocarbons.
Hydrocarbon trap seals
range from very efficient to relatively inefficient. Thus, many hydrocarbon
accumulations have some leakage to the surface. Leaking hydrocarbons effect
a host of changes on the rocks and soils through which they pass. At the
surface, subtle differences in mineral composition or vegetation manifest
these changes. Using sophisticated spectral processing, one can
emphasize some of these subtle differences. Spectral satellite data
are particularly useful for this task because the data is composed of
millions of color-coded, digital, squares called pixels. In a process knows
as pattern recognition computers can easily compare one pixel to other
pixels from known oil and gas seeps. The color-coded pixels are made into a
map of favorable hydrocarbon matches. Red pixels have the highest potential
and green pixels the lowest potential.
Airborne and satellite
spectral sensors flown over known hydrocarbon leaks have found that an
absorption feature near 2.31 µm (micron) is very sensitive to the amount of
a specific component of hydrocarbons. A ratio of two reflectance values on
either side of that absorption feature divided by the value of the decreased
reflectance in the spectral curve at the feature low point enhances
the delectability of the hydrocarbon and quantifies its magnitude.
Digital Spectral Satellite
Maps are based n pixel pattern recognition algorithms and the 2.31 µm
(micron) hydrocarbon absorption anomaly on Band 116.
For
more information contact Mammoth
Geophysical: 800/822-6788, or 304/366-8019 fax, or email
maps@mammoth-geo.com.
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