Using Streams and Faults as Lineaments to Delineate Aquifer Characteristics

Abstract

Lineaments are mappable features on the surface that can reflect subsurface characteristics. They can be created by topography, soil cover, vegetation, streams, and faults. An assessment of the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer in south-central Oklahoma was made based on the stream and fault data collected using GIS. Lineaments have been studied for exploration of both oil and water. Studies have shown that the use of lineaments can be a useful tool in both cases. Streams are morphological features that are easy to detect but have not been fully utilized when analyzing subsurface fracture characteristics. GIS stream and fault properties of density, length, and orientation can be analyzed and compared with outcrop fracture data to correctly determine if a correlation can be made.