Utah Hingeline - Unlocking Its Potential Means Overcoming Its Challenges
A great deal of interest has been generated in the Hingeline since the discovery of the Covenant field by Wolverine Gas and Oil Corp in 2003, when a 487 ft thick oil column was encountered in the Navajo Sandstone. This discovery proved the hydrocarbon potential of the area.
Survey Area
Mapping Through Areas of Complex Geology
Many structural targets exist between the Covenant field and the analogous production to the North. However, the area is structurally complicated and the cost of seismic data is high, due to difficult terrain and permitting issues. The geological complexity of the area and sparse data coverage means that this remains a challenging place to explore for hydrocarbons.
In order to explore effectively in the Hingeline, detailed geological information is needed which either can be integrated with the existing 2D seismic data or used to target further data acquisition (2D/3D seismic).
Providing 3D Images Of The Anticline
In 2007 ARKeX Ltd in conjunction with JEBCO Seismic conducted an airborne geophysical survey using BlueQube technology at a location near Richfield in central Utah, along the Hingeline. The main objective of the survey was to provide a 3D image of the anticline along which the Covenant field was discovered. This was the first phase of an ongoing project to collect high-resolution airborne geophysical data in the area (BlueQube data comprises Gravity Gradients, Magnetic, LiDAR and digital video).