Print this pageIntegrating Surface Geochemical Expressions with Geological, Geophysical and Remote Sensing Data: Case Histories from Selected Proterozoic Basins of India
B. Kumar1, S.V. Raju2, D.J. Patil1, G. Kalpana1, and C. Vishnu Vardhan1
1 National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, India
2 Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, New Delhi, India
The Proterozoic Basins of India (Vindhyan, Chattisgarh, Cuddapah, Bastar, Kaladgi and Bhima) are comparable to the producing basins of similar age from other parts of the world and have all necessary prerequisites for hydrocarbon generation and accumulation. These basins are grouped under Category – III & IV (prospective and potentially prospective basins) and cover an area of ~ 250 x 103 Sq. Km. They have favorable structural geometry for hydrocarbon accumulation, considerable sediment thickness, rich paleolife and rock types that can act as good reservoirs and seals.
The surface geochemical prospecting surveys have been carried out in Proterozoic Western Vindhyan and Chattisgarh basins on a regional scale. The adsorbed soil gas data in the Western Vindhyan Basin have shown varied concentrations of CH4, C2H6, C3H8, iC4H10 and nC4 H10 ranging between 1-2547 ppb, 1-558 ppb, 1-181 ppb, 1-37 ppb and 1-32 ppb, respectively. The light gaseous hydrocarbon concentrations in soil samples of Chattisgarh Basin vary from 3-272 ppb for C1 and 1-91 ppb, 10-121 ppb and 7-121 ppb for C2 -C4 (only few samples), respectively. The results of these surveys are integrated with the available geological, geophysical and remote sensing data and interpreted using Geographic Information System (GIS). The paper will present and discuss the scope and perspective of integrated geoscientific studies for evaluating the hydrocarbon potential of these basins.