Creekology

Creekology is a petroleum prospecting method which appeared in the 19th century in US south gas-oil states. In its simplest form, it was the search for above-ground indications of oil, such as natural seeps ^[1]. Creekologists also placed wells on singular points of a territory in accordance with landscape features. The placing of wells often occurred near, or on, linear objects - erosion relief forms (valleys, creeks ^[2], etc.) - giving rise to the term creekology. The success rates of some creekologists in the 19th century were very high - 80-90% of their wells gave production and more recent petroleum firms can only dream about such results.

New creekology

In the middle of the 20th century some geologists formed an idea about existing fault-fold systems in the earth's crust, in sediment cover, and this gave creekology a "scientific base". Linear forms in earth landscape connect with fault tectonics, and some folds near faults can be reservoirs of hydrocarbons. The non-fold types of traps mark by lineation too (paleo-rivers formed on faults). Now some geologists mark probable gas-oil areas with the help of space image lineation interpreting. This activity can be defined as "new creekology".

References

1. ^ http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/P/PE023.html
2. ^ http://www.energybulletin.net/node/8298