DEVELOPING A NATIONAL STRUCTURAL COMPLEXITY DATABASE FOR U.S. SALINE BASINS

Characterization of geologic structural features or the geometrical and spatial relationships between faults, fractures, and folds often relies on data that are implicit, ambiguous, or lacking key information. However, improving prediction of subsurface features is critical for geohazard, resource, and basic characterization applications. These include modeling and prediction of the nature and behavior of geologic structure linked to interaction between complex mineral, groundwater, hydrothermal, hydrocarbon, and underground fluid waste disposal systems and tied to challenges in managing and exploiting subsurface resources. Therefore, methods to improve constraining and quantifying subsurface geologic structural complexity are critical for subsurface resource applications.

Leveraging a recently developed geospatial analytical framework to model and predict structural complexity, we developed a database of estimates representing the potential for complex structural features to exist, for selected U.S. saline basins. Results aim to improve subsurface knowledge and uncertainty characterization in areas with little or no explicit structural information available and ultimately provide basin-scale datasets for use in risk models and decision-making for current and future carbon storage projects.