AAPG Bulletin GIS Data – Digital Data at Your Fingertips

Calculated vitrinite reflectance (Figure 6b, Kuhn and Others, 2012)  (AAPG ©2012, reprinted by permission of the AAPG whose permission is required for further use)

For over 15 years, AAPG has been a leader in providing GIS data to the profession and to its members. One of the hidden gems for AAPG members is the AAPG Bulletin GIS data sets. Within each month’s AAPG Bulletin web page, users can download the GIS data and use the data various mapping software programs.

AAPG Bulletin GIS data is a little mentioned, but very important member benefit. Many members log into the AAPG Members Only area to read the AAPG Bulletin articles. Once there, members have a few more options for accessing additional features with each month’s AAPG Bulletin. In addition to accessing the individual articles, there are two buttons to allow members to access more information. The first button allows members to download the entire AAPG Bulletin as a ZIP file. The second button allows members to download the GIS data for the AAPG Bulletin. The GIS datasets provide powerful information and data for geoscientists conducting research and exploring for energy resources.

Since 2004, the AAPG Bulletin maps, figures, and charts have been scanned and turned into GIS datasets. AAPG Datapages came up with the idea to create GIS data from the AAPG Bulletin articles, with former staff member Jingyao Gong developing the procedures and techniques to convert the maps and figures into GIS data. Using AAPG Datapages staff and student interns at Oklahoma State, they began to create the GIS content. Today, AAPG continues to create the monthly Bulletin GIS datasets, with the program now headed by AAPG Datapages staff members Eric Jones and Jacqueline Berryman.

The AAPG Bulletin GIS datasets are digitized by article, with an average four to five articles that contain GIS data. Each article contains a dataset and an ArcMap MXD file. In each MXD, there are links to the maps and the georeferenced TIF images. Some of the figures are saved in PDF format, such as geologic columns, well logs, and mud logs. These PDF figures are combined with the vector point and line GIS data to provide hyperlink pop-ups to present the data to the users. Other PDF files used for hyperlink pop-ups include cross sections and seismic sections, outcrop photos, core photos, photo micrographs, and diagrams. As a bonus, each Bulletin GIS dataset is provided with a USA basemap and a World basemap. Finally, the ArcMap MXDs, the georeferenced TIFF images, hyperlinked PDF files, and the vector shape files are then packaged into ZIP files and placed on the AAPG Bulletin web page. Below is an example of a hyperlinked document - a simplified stratigraphic column of the Williston Basin, from the October 2012 issue of the AAPG Bulletin.

Simplified stratigraphic column of the Williston Basin (Figure 2, Kuhn and Others, 2012) (AAPG ©2012, reprinted by permission of the AAPG whose permission is required for further use)

The process of converting the bulletin maps and data involve multiple steps. The maps in the bulletin PDF files are exported and convert to TIFF format. These maps are then georeferenced to either the USA basemap or the World basemap. Once the maps are georeferenced, the locations of cross sections and seismic lines, and the locations of photos, samples, and well locations are digitized into shape file format. Below is another example georeferenced map, overlain with a points and lines that allow hyperlinks to PDF figures.

Location of the Williston Basin (Figure 1, Kuhn and Others, 2012) (AAPG ©2012, reprinted by permission of the AAPG whose permission is required for further use)

Inside the ArcMap file, the layers are grouped stratigraphically, with the youngest at the top and the oldest at the bottom. In addition, the structure contour maps are grouped together and the isopach maps are grouped together. Regional maps are generally placed on the bottom of the table of contents while large scale maps are generally place at the top of the table of contents. Basins are built from the bottom upwards. Geological concepts and interpretations are done to enhance the data and make a logical presentation of the geology presented in the Bulletin article.

The GIS data from the AAPG Bulletin can be used many different software programs. The most dominate software program is ESRI’s ArcGIS software and the Bulletin GIS datasets has been created and presented using this software. But, there are other are other software packages that can use the Bulletin GIS datasets, such as IHS Petra, Schlumberger Petrel, and LMKR Geographix. There are also open source and low-cost GIS software programs that can display and analyze the AAPG Bulletin GIS data, including QGIS, GRASS, Global Mapper and Surfer. All the examples in this post were created using QGIS software.

One of the most important GIS concepts is the ability to combine data from separate bulletins to allow new analysis and interpretations. I've added a figure showing the API oil gravities from the Weyburn and Midale central fields, Saskatchewan, Canada (Chen and others, 2009). The figure supplied by AAPG Datapages was not georeferenced, but it was relatively easy to georeference the figure in QGIS. You can take any number of figures, tables, diagrams, and other pieces of information, add them to a GIS project and begin to build an geologic GIS information system for your area of interest.

Diagram showing the oil gravity (API) in the Weyburn and Midale central fields, Saskatchewan, Canada (Figure 9 of Chen and others, 2009) (AAPG ©2009, reprinted by permission of the AAPG whose permission is required for further use)

Go ahead and explore!

Acknowledgements

All figures reprinted by permission of the AAPG whose permission is required for further use

References

Chen, Z., Osadetz, K.G., Jiang, C., and Li, M., 2009, Spatial variation of Bakken or Lodgepole oils in the Canadian Williston Basin: AAPG Bulletin, vol. 93, no. 6, p. 829-851.

Kuhn, P.P., di Primio, R., Hill, R., Lawrence, J.R., and Horsfield, B., 2012, Three-dimensional modeling study of the low-permeability petroleum system of the Bakken Formation: AAPG Bulletin, vol. 96, no. 10, p. 1867-1897.