Seismic Detection of Shallow Natural Gas Beneath Hutchinson, Kansas

Kansas Geological Survey Open-file Report 2002-44

• Thin, fracture-prone dolomites, which occur along the crest of an anticline, appear to have served as the conduit for leaking gas between the Yaggy gas storage field and the city of Hutchinson.
• Sonic logs show that the dolomites have P-wave velocities that are higher than the surrounding shales. When gas is contained within fractures in these dolomites, the velocity is reduced down to or below that of the shales, causing a dim out or polarity-reversed bright spot on the seismic data.
• Densities of the fractured dolomites appear to be unaffected by the gas.
• Sonic logs acquired nine months following the Hutchinson explosions indicate that as the gas dissipates, the seismic anomalies begin to disappear.

• Charles Mountford, ONEOK - logistical support
• Rick Miller, Dave Laflin, Chadwick Gratton, and Joe Anderson - seismic data acquisition
• Joe Anderson - well logging
• Allyson Anderson - data compilation
• Seismic Micro-Technology, Inc. and GeoPLUS Corporation - access to software

Reference

Bhattacharya, S., and Watney, W. L., 2001, Pressure and production analyses - vent wells around Yaggy gas storage facility, Hutchinson, Kansas, Kansas Geological Survey Open File Report 2001-68, 9 p. + 9 figs.

 

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