ABSTRACT

New ideas, new techniques, and new methods of exploration must be employed in concert with the conventional methods of the past to meet the ever-increasing demands for energy and strategic minerals.

The synoptic view, or Big Look, provided by satellite imagery and augmented by high-altitude aircraft data affords the explorationist new prospectives resulting in more comprehensive interpretations on a regional basis and assist in establishing geological trends.

Integration of all available geological and geophysical information with information derived from Landsat imagery and other remotely sensed data provides a method of identifying potential petroleum and mineral prospects on a regional basis.

Using this consolidated information, specific areas of interest may be identified for evaluation in greater detail through additional investigation. For petroleum prospects, this may involve the designing of a detailed geophysical program. For mineral prospects, this could include a more sophisticated remote sensing program, conventional airborne and/or ground geophysical surveys and detailed geologic mapping.

These techniques have been applied to frontier areas as an inexpensive preliminary source to localize prospects. Prospects have also been identified by these techniques in older, mature, producing areas.

In order to accurately and cost effectively integrate the wealth of data needed to logically evaluate and identify prospect areas, computer technology is employed. Through computerizatioin, inputs varying in scale and information content can be registered to a common scale and integrated into a single geographic data base.

Establishment of a geographic data base, provide the explorationist a simpler, faster, and more cost effective method to plan geophysical programs and field work. Most important, investment decisions can be made with greater confidence when all pertinent information is current and accurately presented.

The use of several models will illustrate that satellite technology applied to exploration allows costly on-site investigations to be focused on the most promising targets.

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