Seismic Detection of Shallow Natural Gas Beneath Hutchinson, Kansas
Kansas Geological Survey
Open-file Report 2002-44
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Kansas Geological Survey Open-file Report 2002-44 |
A high-resolution seismic reflection survey was conducted in order to identify shallow natural gas that had caused explosions in Hutchinson, Kansas in January 2001. Gas presence produced both bright spots and dim spots on the seismic reflection profiles. Core and well log data from wells drilled to vent the gas indicate that the gas-bearing interval corresponds to thin dolomite layers, which have higher P-wave velocities than the surrounding shales. Gas within fractures in these dolomites appears to reduce the velocity of the dolomite interval down to or below that of the shales. Depending upon the magnitude of the gas effect, a dim out or bright spot is produced. As gas dissipates from a given location, the associated seismic anomaly is reduced.
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Last updated November 2002
http://www.kgs.ku.edu/PRS/Poster/2002/2002-44/P1-02.html