Deriving geological contact geometry from potential field data

Hernan Ugalde; William A. Morris

doi:10.1071/EG09032

ISSN: 0812-3985
E-ISSN: 1834-7533

Deriving geological contact geometry from potential field data
Authors Hernan Ugalde^a,b and William A. Morris^a
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^a MAGGIC, School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada. ^b Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Publisher: Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists
Source: Exploration Geophysics, Volume 41, Issue 1, Mar 2010, p. 40 - 50
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/EG09032
- Received: 16 Jul 2009
- Accepted: 14 Dec 2009
- Published online: 01 Mar 2010

Abstract

The building process of any geological map involves linking sparse lithological outcrop information with equally sparse geometrical measurements, all in a single entity which is the preferred interpretation of the field geologist. The actual veracity of this interpretative map is partially dependent upon the frequency and distribution of geological outcrops compounded by the complexity of the local geology. Geophysics is commonly used as a tool to augment the distribution of data points, however it normally does not have sufficient geometrical constraints due to: a) all geophysical inversion models being inherently non-unique; and b) the lack of knowledge of the physical property contrasts associated with specific lithologies. This contribution proposes the combined use of geophysical edge detection routines and ‘three point’ solutions from topographic data as a possible approach to obtaining geological contact geometry information (strike and dip), which can be used in the construction of a preliminary geological model. This derived geological information should first be assessed for its compatibility with the scale of the problem, and any directly observed geological data. Once verified it can be used to help constrain the preferred geological map interpretation being developed by the field geologist. The method models the contacts as planar surfaces. Therefore, it must be ensured that this assumption fits the scale and geometry of the problem. Two examples are shown from folded sequences at the Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick, Canada.

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Deriving geological contact geometry from potential field data

Exploration Geophysics 41, 40 (2010); https://doi.org/10.1071/EG09032

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Article Type: Research Article

Keyword(s): Bathurst Mining Camp, potential fields, 3D modelling, topography.

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Deriving geological contact geometry from potential field data

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