HARRIS, DAVID C. and SPARKS, THOMAS N., Kentucky Geological Survey, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506
In 1994 an industry-funded research partnership was formed with the
Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) to address the common exploration need
for high-quality, consistent geologic data for interpretation. The project
focused on the Mississippian Newman Limestone (Big Lime) in eastern Kentucky
where production is often stratigraphically controlled. A collaborative
project was designed to collect stratigraphic tops for selected wells in
eastern Kentucky, and enter the data into a digital database compatible
with computer-mapping software.
The KGS database has records for more than 30,000 wells drilled to
the Newman Limestone or deeper in eastern Kentucky. Wells were ranked by
a computer to select newer records with better data. To reduce clustering
of data, the study area was divided into one minute latitude/longitude
cells, and the two highest ranking wells in each cell were selected. This
process resulted in a data set of approximately 8,000 wells, with higher-quality
data and a more uniform distribution than the original KGS database. As
many as 13 stratigraphic tops were collected per well, and the data source
(geophysical log or driller's log) was recorded as an indication of data
quality. To ensure consistent correlations, a stratigraphic framework was
first established using 14 regional cross sections. Data were collected
from records on file in the Geologic Data Center at KGS, and entered into
a computer database. A total of 62,709 tops from 7,713 wells was collected
during the 2-year project.
The terms of the partnership allowed the database to remain confidential
to the three funding companies for 1 year, but it is now available to the
public. The project resulted in a substantial increase in available digital
stratigraphic data for eastern Kentucky, benefiting the funding partners
and the industry as a whole. It serves as an example of the mutual benefits
of industry and government research cooperation.
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