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Types of Geological Subsurface Maps

There are many types of geological subsurface maps that provide information about underground features and structures. These include thickness maps like isopach and isochore maps, which show variations in stratum thickness. Structural maps depict subsurface faults and folds. Geological cross-sections provide vertical views of stratigraphic and structural features. Other map types illustrate characteristics like facies distributions, paleogeography, predicted rock types at depth, and geophysical or geochemical anomalies. Subsurface maps are important tools for applications in hydrology, stratigraphy, structural geology, and resource exploration.

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Mohamed Sadek
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203 views8 pages

Types of Geological Subsurface Maps

There are many types of geological subsurface maps that provide information about underground features and structures. These include thickness maps like isopach and isochore maps, which show variations in stratum thickness. Structural maps depict subsurface faults and folds. Geological cross-sections provide vertical views of stratigraphic and structural features. Other map types illustrate characteristics like facies distributions, paleogeography, predicted rock types at depth, and geophysical or geochemical anomalies. Subsurface maps are important tools for applications in hydrology, stratigraphy, structural geology, and resource exploration.

Uploaded by

Mohamed Sadek
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Geological Subsurface Maps

Subsurface Map can be defined as a geological map depicting geologic data or


features below the Earth's surface, especially a plan of mine workings, or a
structure-contour map of a petroleum reservoir or an underground ore deposit,
coal seam, key bed, faults, joints, or thickness etc.
Types of geological subsurface maps:
There are many types of subsurface maps, most of these maps are prepared
by contouring or drawing lines at regular intervals representing depth or
thickness.

1. Thickness Maps:
Thickness maps represent thickness variations and thickness trends of a given
unit. Isochore and isopach maps are two different types of thickness map.
(i) Isopach Map:
It is a contour map of equal values of true stratigraphic thickness. An isopach map
illustrates thickness variations within a tabular unit, layer or stratum. Isopach are
contour lines of equal thickness over an area.
Or we can simple say, an isopach is a line that connects points of equal True
thickness (i.e measured perpendicular to bedding).
Isopach maps are also referred to as True Stratigraphic Thickness (TST) maps.
Uses: Isopach maps are utilized in hydrographic survey, stratigraphy,
sedimentology, structural geology, petroleum geology and volcanology.
(ii). Isochore map:
An isochore is a line that connects points of equal vertical thickness. It displays
lines of equal thickness in a layer where the thicknesses are measured vertically.
They are also called as True Vertical Thickness (TVT) maps.
Note: the thicknesses displayed in an isochore map of the layer will be
greater than the thicknesses displayed in an isopach map of the same layer

2. Structural Maps and Sections:


A contour map that shows the subsurface features of a reservoir or formation.
These maps clearly show faults, folds, and other geologic structures.
It is a type of subsurface map whose contours represent the elevation of a
formation, reservoir or geologic marker in space, such that folds, faults and other
geologic structures are clearly displayed. Its appearance is similar that of a
topographic map, but topographic map displays elevations of the Earth's surface
Uses: Structural maps and sections are also examined for clues to crustal
movement and potential hazards, such as earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic
activity. Identification of fault lines can facilitate land use planning by limiting
construction over potentially dangerous zones of seismic activity.
3. GEOLOGICAL CROSS-SECTIONS:
A cross section allows us to take look at a portion of the crust. These maps show
both structural and stratigraphic features of the Earth allowing us to predict
possible traps and reservoir formations.
They represent the geologic data as maps but in the vertical view. There are
several types of cross-sections, from which some are mentioned below,
(i). Correlation Cross-Sections:
They are the first figures to be drawn in the first phase of exploratory drilling and
they enable the geologist to decide stratigraphic equivalences between the wells.
(ii). Structural Cross-Sections:
They show the present structural altitudes of rocks in relation to sea level as a
horizontal datum.
(iii). Stratigraphic Cross Section:
They show the correlation of strata with respect to one of them selected as a
horizontal datum.

Geologic Cross Sections Across the Mahomet Bedrock Valley

4. Facies Map
Facies are bodies of sediment that are recognizably distinct from adjacent
sediments that resulted from different depositional environments. It is the total
characteristics of a rock including its chemical, physical, and biological features
that distinguishes it from adjacent rock. Generally, geologists distinguish facies by
the aspect of the rock or sediment being studied rock.
Therefore, a map showing the distribution of different types of rock attributes or
facies occurring within a designated geologic unit is called FACIES MAP.
In other words, it can also be defined as stratigraphic map indicating distribution
of sedimentary facies within a specific geologic unit.

5. Paleo-geologic Maps: Paleo-geologic maps were introduced by Levorsen in


1933
A map that shows the areal (relating to area) geology of an ancient surface at
some time in the geologic past, specially. such a map of the surface immediately
below an unconformity (surface of contact between two groups of
unconformable strata), showing the geology as it existed at the time the surface
of unconformity was completed but before the overlapping strata were
deposited.
6. Sub-crop Maps:
If rocks exposed at the present-day erosion surface are referred to as outcrops,
then now-buried rocks that were exposed at ancient erosion surfaces are referred
to as sub-crops.
Sub-crop maps show what an area would look like if the topmost deposits would
be removed. It is therefore very useful for people such as well drillers, who are
curious to know which rocks are present at a certain depth, instead of at the
surface.

7. Internal Property Maps:


Maps detect the characteristics of a single unit and its shape.
-It includes many types:
1. Iso-porosity maps.
2. Iso-volume or iso-vol. maps.
3. Iso-concentration maps.
4. Iso-hydrocarbon maps.
5. Iso-bar maps
6. Iso-potential maps.
7. Water- encroachment map.

8. Geophysical Maps:
These maps depend on geophysical anomaly (such as local variations or
irregularity in the normal pattern) which after correction may be attributed to
some geologic phenomena. –
Geophysical surveys are an important part of mapping bedrock, soil and
groundwater. Geophysics is also used for specific problem settings such as,
bedrock conditions before an underground construction, mapping of natural
resources, risk analysis of landslides, detection of groundwater magazines and
mapping of contaminated sites.
9. Geochemical Maps:
These maps are used for mapping various kinds of chemical analysis of rocks and
their fluid contents. It may show the surface distribution of hydrocarbons where
those hydrocarbons are found at the surface in large amounts than normal
indicating that there is a seepage of oil or gas.

An example of Geochemical Map


10. Some Other Types of Maps Include:

Litho-facies maps: Contour map that shows the character of the rock itself and
how it varies horizontally in the formation. This may determine whether a rock is
sandstone, shale, or some other type of rock.
Bio-facies maps: Similar to lithofacies but show variations in the occurrence of
fossil types.
Iso porosity maps: The maps which show the lines of equal porosity in the
potential reservoir rock.

Iso volume maps: The maps which show the contours of equal porosity-meters
or porosity-ft (net thickness x porosity).

Iso potential maps: The maps which show the initial or calculated daily rate
production of wells in a pool.
Iso baric maps: The maps which show by contours the reservoir pressure in a
pool.
Iso concentration maps: The maps which show the concentration of salts in
oil-field water by contours.

Water encroachment maps: The maps which show the position of wells from
which water is produced along with the oil.

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