Applications of three-dimensional digital mapping in sedimentology: Collection, visualization, and interpretation.

摘要

New technology is available that makes it feasible to directly map geology in three dimensions. Utilizing this technology effectively requires developing and refining data collection techniques, establishing workflows for integrating the resulting data with existing methods and data, developing visualization and interpretation methodologies, and demonstrating that it has a benefit to particular aspects of geology. Two case studies are presented that document the new insights that can be gained from mapping directly in 3D, using two different techniques, photorealistic mapping and direct GPS mapping. The first, a project to map a deepwater channel system, shows how 3D outcrop data can be directly integrated into 3D reservoir models. The second, a project to map carbonate mud-mounds, illustrates how working in 3D presents new insights and yields new interpretations in a well-studied area. The workflow for each case study is documented, and a survey of 3D mapping techniques is provided, thereby establishing a roadmap for using these techniques in other areas.