Object-Oriented Expert Systems and Their 

Applications to Sedimentary Basin Analysis , 

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 2048 
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Object-Oriented Expert Systems and Their 

Applications to Sedimentary Basin Analysis 

By BETTY M. MILLER 

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 2048 

Applying expert systems and knowledge acquisition 

techniques to classifying world sedimentary basins 

and to diagnosing geologic conditions favorable to 

the occurrence of energy resources in sedimentary 

basin analyses 

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON: 1993 
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary 

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

Dallas L. Peck, Director 

For sale by 

USGS Map Distribution 

Box 25286, Building 810 

Denver Federal Center 

Denver, CO 80225 

Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and 

does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. 

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data 

Miller, Betty M. 

Object-oriented expert systems and their applications to sedimentary basin analysis I by Betty M. Miller. 

p. em. - (U.S. Geological Survey bulletin ; 2048) 

Includes bibliographical references. 

Supt. of Docs. no.: I 19.3:2048 

1. Petroleum-Geology. 2. Sedimentary basins-Classification-Data processing. 3. Expert systems (Computer 

science). I. Title. n. Series. 

QE75.B9 no. 2048 

[TN870.5] 

557.3 s-dc20 

[553.2'8] 92-43214 

CIP 
1-10. 

CONTENTS 

Abstract................................................................................................................................. 1 

Introduction........................................................................................................................... 1 

Acknowledgments ........................... ...................................................... ................. ............ .. 2 

Expert-System Technology .................................................................................................. 2 

Knowledge-Based Systems ........................................................................................ 2 

Knowledge Acquisition .................... .......................................................................... 3 

Object-Oriented Data Bases ........................................ ................................. .. . ........... 4 

Expert-System Applications to Sedimentary Basin Analysis............................................... 6 

Prototype Expert System for Sedimentary Basin Classification ................................... ... .... 6 

Klemme's Basin Classification System . . . .. ... . . . . . . ...... ............ ...... ............ .................. .. 7 

Building Basin Models............................................................................................... 7 

Application of Basin Models...................................................................................... 9 

Prototype Expert System for Sedimentary Basin Analysis .............. ... .. ............................... 9 

Knowledge Representation Schemes.......................................................................... 9 

Hybrid Expert Systems............................................................................................... 9 

Expert Systems for Sedimentary Basin Analysis ....... .......... ...................................... 11 

Prototype Expert System for Play Analysis.......................................................................... 13 

Fuzzy-Logic Expert Systems................................................................................................ 13 

Conclusions........................................................................................................................... 16 

References Cited................................................................................................................... 17 

Appendixes ... ... . . . . .. ... ... . . . . .. . . . . . . . ... . . .. .. .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .... .. .. . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . ........ ... . . . . . . . ............. ..... .. 21 

A. Header File for the muPETROL Expert System ................................................ 22 

B. Inference Net and Listing for Class IliA-Craton and Accreted Zone 

Rift Basins (Model5), File Name CAZR........................................................... 23 

Glossary .... .............. ........... ... . .. .......... ... . ....................... .................................... .................... 27 

FIGURES 

Diagrams showing: 

1. The basic architecture of an expert system...................................................................................................... 3 

2. The knowledge-acquisition process using a typical expert-system shell........................................................ 4 

3. Partial hierarchy within an object-oriented sedimentary basin expert system 

that represents the basic geology for the superclass BASIN TYPES .. .. .. .. ....................................................... 5 

4. An inference net showing how IF-THEN rules of the form "IF E (evidence) THEN (to some degree) 

H (hypothesis)" constitute the primary structure for encoding geologic knowledge in 

complex basin models .................................................................................................................................... . 

5. A muPETROL inference net for Klemme class IliA-Craton and Accreted Zone Rift Basins ................... .. 

8 

8 

6. The anatomy of a rule in the knowledge base of an object-oriented expert system ........................................ 10 

7. Multiple-rule relationships exhibiting forward and backward chaining in the knowledge base 

of an object-oriented expert system ................................................................................................................ 10 

8. A simplified hierarchical network of a frame-based, object-oriented expert system ...................................... 11 

9. An object-oriented knowledge representation of a class-object-attribute hierarchy in an expert system....... 11 

10. A geologic basin analysis object network illustrating the superclass BASIN STRATIGRAPHY and 

its five classes.................................................................................................................................................. 12 

11. Oil and gas appraisal data form used to assess resources in the play-analysis system for the NPRA study ............ 14 

12. Graph showing degree-of-membership functions of small, medium, and large fuzzy sets ...................................... 15 

III 
IV CONTENTS 

TABLE 

1. Klemme basin classification and muPETROL expert-system file identification........................................................... 7 
OBJECT-ORIENTED EXPERT SYSTEMS AND 

THEIR APPLICATIONS TO 

SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 

By Betty M. Miller 

ABSTRACT 

The concepts and methods for analyzing sedimentary 

basins in petroleum exploration have changed from fairly 

simplistic geologic studies, which employed primarily 

qualitative and semiquantitative techniques, to studies of 

ever increasing complexity that use quantitative evaluations of total basin systems within three-dimensional 

frameworks. Enormous amounts of multivariate spatial 

data are necessary to quantify the geologic, geophysical, 

geochemical, and hydrologic processes within complex 

sedimentary basins. Such an integrated analysis is difficult 

to achieve without computer assistance. New applications 

of Artificial Intelligence and expert-system techniques can, 

however, be interfaced with knowledge-based Geographic 

Information Systems to provide the tools needed to define 

new strategies and technologies for conducting and automating the complex tasks required for geologic studies of 

sedimentary basins and particularly for three-dimensional 

basin analyses. 

Research efforts in the U.S. Geological Survey are 

currently aimed at applying expert systems and knowledge 

acquisition techniques to the design and construction of a 

global system of sedimentary basin classification, the geologic analysis of sedimentary basins, and exploration play 

analysis. The primary objective is to design a prototype 

expert system that will interface with knowledge-based 

Geographic Information Systems and capture both the 

logic used to define the geologic concepts and the reasoning that enables the geologist to understand and reconstruct the geologic evolution of a sedimentary basin. The 

expert system will provide these capabilities through documentation of a basin study's major components as 

expressed, for example, by stratigraphy, structural geology, and sedimentology. Expert systems such as this one 

are being designed to manage imprecise knowledge in 

data bases; to analyze the traditional concepts of source, 

reservoir, and trapping mechanism; to aid in the diagnosis 

of geologic conditions favorable for the occurrence of 

petroleum or other energy resources; and, ultimately, to 

aid in the assessment of these energy resources. 

Applications of the concepts of object-oriented expert 

systems to various fields of expertise in the geologic 

sciences for the primary purpose of evaluating the 

Nation's future energy and mineral resources have been 

explored and found to be feasible. Expert-system technology provides new tools that can introduce breakthroughs 

in knowledge acquisition and data interpretation for 

industry and for research activities in the earth sciences. 

INTRODUCTION 

Most of the world's energy and mineral resources are 

derived from rocks in sedimentary basins. Exploration and 

assessment of such resources requires an understanding of 

their relation to the host strata regardless of whether they 

are primary or postdepositional deposits. The most important product of the study of these host strata is an analysis 

that documents the geologic and paleogeographic evolution of the sedimentary basin. Such a comprehensive basin 

analysis demands an interpretation of data from many specialties including sedimentology, stratigraphy, geophysics, 

structural geology, and geochemistry, as well as the ability 

to assess the interrelations of many types of multivariate 

spatial data. 

The concepts and methods of conducting sedimentary 

basin analyses have evolved from fairly simplistic geologic studies, which employed primarily qualitative and 

semiquantitative techniques, to studies of ever-increasing 

complexity that make use of quantitative evaluations of 

total basin systems within three-dimensional frameworks. 

According to Potter and Pettijohn (1977), one of the cornerstones of basin analysis is an integrated study approach 

that requires enormous amounts of multivariate spatial 

data to quantify the geologic, geophysical, geochemical, 

and hydrologic processes interacting over time in complex 

sedimentary basins. Such an integrated analysis is almost 

impossible to accomplish without computer assistance. 

New applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and 

expert-system techniques can, however, be interfaced with 

knowledge-based computer mapping techniques, known as 

Geographic Information Systems (GIS), to provide the 

tools needed to define new strategies and technologies for 

conducting and automating the complex tasks common to 

sedimentary basin analysis. 
2 OBJECT-ORIENTED EXPERT-SYSTEM APPLICATIONS TO SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 

The purpose of this paper is to discuss current 

research into the feasibility of applying expert systems and 

knowledge acquisition techniques to ( 1) the design and 

development of a global system of sedimentary basin classification, and (2) the geologic analysis of sedimentary 

basins for diagnosing geologic conditions favorable to the 

occurrence of petroleum and other energy resources. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

The work described in this report was mostly funded 

by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Director's "GIS 

Sweepstakes" award to the author in 1988 from funds to 

support GIS research and related computer techniques for 

geologic applications. 

The author thanks H. Douglas Klemme, president of 

Geo Basins Limited, Bondville, Vt., for his interest, contributions, and exchange of ideas on his world sedimentary 

basin classification system. Special thanks also to Eric G. 

Summers (USGS/lSD) for his technical assistance on the 

use of various expert systems. 

EXPERT -SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY 

In recent years, research in applied AI has achieved 

considerable successes. Among the most significant of 

these AI successes-and one that has attracted both business and research interests since the mid-1960's-is the 

development of powerful new computer programs known 

as expert systems or knowledge-based systems. These programs are designed to present and apply factual knowledge and rules drawn from experts in specific areas to 

solve complex problems. This area of AI research concentrates on constructing high-performance software that uses 

symbolic programming to replicate the knowledge, reasoning, and linguistic skills of people in specialized professional domains. These knowledge-based systems are 

different from conventional programming techniques used 

to create the large data processing systems that we commonly associate with computers. By means of complex 

algorithms, conventional systems collect and process large 

volumes of factual data to build information data bases. In 

contrast, knowledge-based systems combine facts, specialized knowledge, and the expert's judgment as well as any 

uncertainties relative to the available knowledge. 

Even though numerous uses for expert systems are 

now considered feasible for many domains of expertise, 

these systems are not currently in wide use (this situation 

is rapidly changing in some fields) nor are they in the 

public domain. Among the limited applications, expert 

systems have been used to help financial analysts invest 

money and to aid engineers in the design of products. 

Some of the better known expert systems have been used 

as diagnostic tools in the medical profession (INTERNIST 

and MYCIN), for chemical analyses (DENDRAL), for 

criminal investigations by the FBI (LITfLE FLOYD), for 

various strategic military applications, as exploration tools 

in mineral prospecting (PROSPECTOR) (Duda and others, 

1981), and for Schlumberger's well-log analyses (DIPMETER ADVISOR) (Baker, 1984). Other earth-science applications are Baroid' s Mudman, used for diagnosing drilling 

problems and for drilling-mud applications (Sea Technology, 1986); AMOCO's PROBWELL, used to diagnose 

problems with producing oil wells; and several prototype 

expert systems constructed by the USGS for microcomputers. One is designed for classification of sedimentary 

basins for petroleum resource assessment (muPETROL) 

(Miller, 1986, 1987b, c) and another is an abbreviated version of PROSPECTOR, called muPROSPECTOR 

(McCammon and others, 1984; McCammon, 1986, 1990). 

In general, however, very few expert systems presently 

being applied in the earth sciences are available for public 

use. 

KNOWLEDGE-BASED SYSTEMS 

Knowledge in most specialties, and particularly in the 

earth sciences, is usually derived from both public and private sources. Public knowledge includes published definitions, facts, and theories typically contained in textbooks 

and references in the domain of study. Expertise in 

research and industry, however, generally calls for access 

to confidential records, techniques, and methodologies and 

requires possession of private knowledge that has not 

entered the published literature. This unpublished expert 

knowledge consists largely of rules of thumb, based upon 

experience, that have come to be called heuristic rules, or 

heuristics. 

Heuristics enable the expert to make decisions (or 

educated guesses when necessary), to recognize promising 

solutions to problems, and to deal effectively with incomplete or uncertain data. Techniques now being developed 

in AI research are capable of dealing with inexact reasoning in expert systems. These various schemes, with their 

ability to simulate reasoning under uncertain conditions, 

provide an ideal tool for applications in the geologic sciences. The capabilities of these expert systems in dealing 

with reasoning under uncertainty are essential to the geologist, who must work with information that is frequently 

incomplete, inferred or interpretive, often uncertain, and 

sometimes unreliable, and who must bridge the unknown 

with little or no information in frontier areas. 

As noted in Lecot and Parker (1986, p. 33), "* * * 

the knowledge base of an expert system is a collection of 

human knowledge and since most of human knowledge is 

imprecise in nature, it is common that both the inference 
EXPERT-SYSTEM TECHNOLOOY 3 

rules and the facts or symptoms are not totally certain., At 

least three types of uncertainties must be dealt with for an 

expert system to be successful in problem solving in the 

earth sciences. The first is uncertainty associated with factual knowledge; for example, geologic evidence might be 

difficult to observe, might be ill defined, or might have to 

be measured with unreliable techniques or equipment. 

Most expert systems associate numeric values with factual 

information to account for this type of uncertainty. The 

second uncertainty is in the inexactness of the inference 

rules or heuristics themselves; the rules represent the 

experience, judgment, or intuition that is inherent in the 

interpretive reasoning of experienced geologists. Most 

expert systems deal with this by assigning to each rule a 

number that serves as a measure of belief, expressing the 

degree to which an expert believes an inference rule to be 

valid. The third type of uncertainty is the user's trust of a 

particular piece of evidence, such as a geologist's belief in 

the reliability of the data as it pertains to the certainty of 

occurrence of any essential geologic attribute used for the 

analysis. Most expert systems deal with this by allowing 

the user to assign the degree of uncertainty for an answer 

(Lecot and Parker, 1986). A new approach being explored 

for designing uncertainty into the knowledge bases of 

expert systems is the application of fuzzy logic and fuzzyset theory to rule-based expert systems, a technique that 

may be helpful for a wide variety of geologic problems 

dealing with imprecise and uncertain knowledge (Zadeh, 

1992). 

A particularly important skill for earth-science professionals is the ability to make decisions based on imprecise or incomplete information. Being able to reason with 

some degree of accuracy under conditions of uncertainty 

is one sign of an expert. In the petroleum industry, the 

history of exploration's success-to-failure ratios may be 

viewed as some measure of this professional expertise. 

The transfer and transformation of this professional problem-solving expertise from the expert to a computer program is the heart of the expert-system development 

process. 

KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION 

The basic architecture of an expert system, shown in 

figure 1, can be divided into two parts. The knowledge 

base and the working memory make up one part of the 

system. The inference engine and all of the subsystems 

and interfaces constitute the second part. The knowledge 

base contains the facts, rules, and heuristics that embody 

expert knowledge. The inference engine contains the inference strategies and controls, explanations, and user-interface subsystems that experts employ when they 

manipulate facts and rules to reach a conclusion. Primary 

attention is focused on the acquisition of the knowledge 

KNOWLEDGE BASE 

• RULES 

e FACTS 

I 

INFERENCE ENGINE 

• INFERENCE 

e CONTROL 

I 

KNOWLEDGE 

ACQUISITION 

SUBSYSTEM 

t EXPERT 

OR 

KNOWLEDGE 

ENGINEER 

r----, 

I WORKING I 

1+---_..•1 MEMORY I 

L-----1 

EXPLANATION 

...... SUBSYSTEM .,... 

e ADVICE • REASONS 

INPUT/OUTPUT 

SYSTEM 

USER INTERFACE 

t 

USER 

Figure 1. The basic architecture of an expert system. Modified 

from Harmon and King (1985, p. 34). 

base in the construction of expert systems. The procedure 

for gathering knowledge from an expert and encoding it 

into program form is called knowledge acquisition. The 

first knowledge-based systems were built by computer 

specialists or system developers, later referred to as 

"knowledge engineers., The knowledge base for each of 

these early systems was built by interviewing a recognized 

expert and attempting to capture that expert's knowledge-hence the term "expert system, (Harmon and King, 

1985). 

Second-generation expert systems are now frequently 

added to the acquisition process to assist the user with the 

tools necessary to incorporate new knowledge into the 

knowledge base. These knowledge-application tools can 

include knowledge editing, knowledge classification, and 

knowledge-base updating programs and configuration 

managers. 

Knowledge acquisition has been viewed by many AI 

researchers as the bottleneck in the construction of expert 

systems (Buchanan and others, 1983). The knowledge 

engineer acts as a go-between to help the expert in translating and transferring expertise to build the knowledge 

base of a system. However, communication problems 

between the computer-oriented system developer and the 

domain specialist have frequently resulted in a less-thansatisfactory transfer process. 

Increasingly, new software products are incorporating 

expert-system techniques taken from AI. A major effort is 
4 OBJECT-ORIENTED EXPERT-SYSTEM APPLICATIONS TO SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 

EXPERT 

• KNOWLEDGE ENGINEER 

• KNOWLEDGE- EDITING 

PROGRAM 

r-• INDUCTION PROGRAM 

TEXTBOOKS ~ 

PROFESSIONAL J • 

PUBLICATIONS 

TEXT -UNDERSTANDING 

PROGRAM 

KNOWLEDGE BASE 

[DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE] 

INFERENCE ENGINE 

[GENERAL PROBLEMSOLVING KNOWLEDGE] 

Figure 2. The knowledge-acquisition process using a typical expert-system shell. Experts have the option of developing their own 

knowledge base directly from past experience, published data, and other sources of information. Modified from Miller (1991, p. 227). 

underway in the development of off-the-shelf expert-system shells-computer programs that provide the framework for developing expert systems. These products differ 

from programming languages in that they already contain 

the control mechanisms that determine how they will 

apply reason to reach a conclusion. 

One of the more important aspects of this new software development is that the expert can become more 

conversant with computer technology and can thus avoid 

the knowledge-acquisition bottleneck in constructing an 

expert system. In effect, the user becomes the knowledge 

engineer, interacting directly with the expert system by 

building the knowledge base directly from past experience, published data, and confidential company or government records, and interfacing the expert system with major 

information data bases. 

One such approach to expert systems can be designed 

as shown in figure 2. Alternative programming paths 

allow users to develop the knowledge base and system 

themselves, thereby documenting their expertise for their 

own ongoing use and development and for use by others. 

In the process of developing a knowledge-based system, 

experts are forced to carefully think through the concepts 

that they use and to examine their technical methodology 

in a particularly rigorous way. They usually complete this 

process with a better understanding of what they know or 

think they know, and of what they are uncertain of or do 

not know. Thus, using a knowledge-based system as a 

prototype consultation system compels the experts to 

explore their own knowledge and to learn what facts, 

rules, and inference strategies are really necessary to 

arrive at a recommendation or solution to a problem. 

In any discussion recommending the application of 

new computer technology to the earth sciences, strong 

emphasis must be placed on the active and continuing participation of experienced professionals in applying expertsystem techniques to accomplish the standard or more 

ambitious goals in their areas of expertise. With proper 

encouragement and cooperative interfacing, the domain 

expert and the knowledge engineer can build the comprehensive knowledge base needed to solve the problem 

being addressed by any expert system (Beckman, 1991 ). 

The successful development of geoscientific expert systems depends on the choice of realistic and useful applications in the earth sciences. In the near future, geoscientists 

in various domains should routinely use knowledge-based 

systems as tools to refine, document, and improve their 

expertise (Miller, 1988). 

OBJECT-ORIENTED DATA BASES 

The evolution of expert-system technology has 

passed many milestones in the last five years. Dozens of 

major companies have used this technology to build highvalue rule-based production systems and have provided 

the proving grounds for expert systems in the business 

world. A new concept in data bases, however, has also 

been gaining acceptance in the application of expert systems. This concept is the object-oriented data base, which 

can store, retrieve, and manage any type of graphic, text, 

numeric, and functional information. 

Broadly speaking, an object refers to any physical or 

conceptual entity that may have many attributes (properties) and that is an elementary unit of description of anything-a thing, a concept, or an event (Harmon and King, 

1985). A collection of objects that usually share attributes 

is called a class. Class, the first fundamental concept of 

object-orientation, is the hierarchical construct that is most 

commonly used to define abstract data types in object-oriented systems. Figure 3 illustrates part of an expert system 

in which all interactions with information relative to basin 

stratigraphy are through the protocol or interface operations of the class Basin Stratigraphy. The objects' 

attributes define the structure or state of the basin's 

stratigraphy. They correspond to slots in frame-based 
EXPERT-SYSTEM TECHNOLOOY 5 

Basin Stratigraphy 

BASIN 

TYPES 

Basin Tectonics 

l SUPERCLASS 

J 

l 

CLASSES 

J 

MAJOR 

STRATIGRAPHIC 

UNITS LITHOLOGY DEPOSITIONAL 

ENVIRONMENT 

REGIONAL 

UNCONFORMITIES 

t L ____ j 

LITHOLOGIC TYPE GEOLOGIC AGE STRUCTURAL 

MECHANISM 

STRUCTURAL 

TYPE 

OBJECTS 

l ATTRIBUTES 

J 

Figure 3. Partial hierarchy within an object-oriented sedimentary basin expert system that represents the basic geology for the superclass 

BASIN TYPES. Each class inherits all forward-chaining-linked objects and attributes below it in the inference network. 

knowledge representations or to properties in relational 

databases. The second fundamental concept is inheritance. 

Object-oriented data bases allow the user to design and 

explore the properties of inheritance for objects and 

classes in relation to the rules. Within an existing hierarchy, the user can build new classes that can inherit behavior (operations and methods) and representation (attributes 

and instance variables) from existing classes. In figure· 3, 

each class has a set of objects covering various geologic 

characteristics such as name and geologic age. All classes 

in the hierarchy will share these objects because they all 

inherit from superclass BASIN TYPES. The third fundamental concept of object-orientation is object identity, the 

property that distinguishes each object from all others. 

With this property, objects can contain or refer to other 

objects. Object identity organizes the objects manipulated 

by an object-oriented program. 

Object-oriented data bases achieve their modeling 

capabilities using the three fundamental concepts of 

abstract data typing, inheritance, and object identity 

(Manola, 1990a, b). As noted in Khoshafian (1991, p. 31 ), 

"Object orientation is defined: object orientation = abstract 

data types+ inheritance+ object identity." Object-oriented 

data bases allow structuring and referential sharing of 

objects using object identity and inheritance. Inheritance 

and object-identity relationships are now commonly being 

used in knowledge representation. By combining data-base 

functionality with object-oriented concepts, these systems 

are becoming the ideal knowledge representation mechanisms for the information shared by multiple users, products, and applications on different computer systems. 

Object-oriented knowledge representation is an ideal 

methodology for applying expert systems to the earth sciences. It has an intuitive appeal because it provides better 

concepts and tools with which to model and represent the 

real world than the more simplistic rule-based approach 

that only focuses on representing the reasoning steps for 

the particular problem to be solved (Sacerdoti, 1991). 

Object-oriented systems offer the means to identify the 

physical and conceptual objects that characterize the 
6 OBJECT-ORIENTED EXPERT-SYSTEM APPLICATIONS TO SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 

decision-making process by providing a data-modeling 

method that identifies and documents physical and conceptual entities, events, and their relationships to one 

another. Such systems allow the user to identify classes, 

objects, and their properties and relationships, and they 

define the behavior and interactions between the objects 

and classes (Blackman, 1990; Gardner, 1991). Object-oriented systems also reveal the reasoning process used by 

the experts, and many of the rules, procedures, and constraints used in the decision-making process. Class-objectattribute relationships are ideal for characterizing the geologic conditions used to define decision-making procedures in sedimentary basin analysis. 

EXPERT -SYSTEM APPLICATIONS TO 

SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 

Some of the basic energy and mineral resource problems that span industry, academia, and the government are 

likely candidates for the application of object-oriented 

expert systems. In addition to factual information, experts 

rely on their own judgment, experience, and intuition in 

developing the chains of reasoning used in the decisionmaking process. This knowledge base is generally the 

result of many years of experience, usually accumulated at 

considerable cost. The many permanent products produced 

by this expertise, such as records, files, papers, reports, 

and maps, cannot be readily updated or examined to solve 

a specific problem, to determine the reasoning process and 

information that an expert used in resolving that problem 

in the past, or to document expensive information compilations and interpretive reasoning that contributed to major 

decision-making processes in earlier studies. Such products are undoubtedly important for long-term strategic 

planning for energy and mineral resource projects and are 

prime sources of information for expert systems in sedimentary basin analysis. These systems can provide a 

means of documenting all of the significant sedimentary 

basins or energy and mineral provinces of the United 

States or the world. Such systems would allow for new 

interpretations and updating, for the introduction of new 

concepts, and for the application of old and new methods 

in the assessment of energy and mineral resources. 

Each basin system can be used as an ongoing decision-making tool by the team of experts who encode and 

document their expertise as a reference for others who will 

need the knowledge base in the future. Thus, an expert 

system can provide a permanent source of information that 

can be continuously updated and that is amenable to 

changing geologic interpretations within the basin. Such a 

system would also provide a tool for in-house training of 

new staff members. 

Research to explore the feasibility of applying objectoriented expert systems to the geologic analysis of 

sedimentary basins for the purpose of assessing their 

energy resources is currently being conducted in the 

USGS in three different stages: basin classification, basin 

analysis, and play analysis. Additional investigations are 

also being conducted into the possibility of constructing 

fuzzy-logic expert systems. 

PROTOTYPE EXPERT SYSTEM FOR 

SEDIMENTARY BASIN 

CLASSIFICATION 

In 1985, an operational prototype expert system 

called muPETROL that aids in the classification of the 

sedimentary basins of the world was developed as the first 

step in acquiring a regional geologic background for estimating undiscovered petroleum resources (Miller, 1986, 

1987b, c). The first phase of this expert system consists of 

10 models-9 sedimentary basin models and a tutorial 

model. The basin models are based on Klemme's (1975, 

1980, 1983) recognition criteria for a world basin classification system and on the expertise and judgment of geologists familiar with the geologic attributes of these 

sedimentary basins. The Introduction and Tutorial model 

provides the user with basic information about several of 

the major world basin classification systems and also provides an introduction to the use of the muPETROL expert 

system. Each model is defined by a rule-based system and 

embodies the geologic concepts of plate tectonics modified by regional tectonics and lithologic and depositional 

sequences. 

The muPETROL expert system, developed for the 

microcomputer, was constructed on an IBM-PC-XT using 

muLISP (Microsoft, 1986; muLISP-87, 1987) and was 

designed to evaluate the favorability for finding petroleum 

resources within a given sedimentary basin (Miller, 1987b, 

c). Basin models were encoded in a form compatible with 

the muPROSPECTOR expert system (McCammon, 1986), 

which in turn was patterned after the SRI PROSPECTOR 

program (Duda, 1980; Duda and others, 1981; Reboh, 

1981). The basin classification models in the muPETROL 

system were the first in a series of computer models 

developed to analyze sedimentary basins. 

This system of rule-based models evaluates the likelihood of occurrence of a given basin type and provides 

documentation of the geologic reasons or attributes on 

which the evaluation is based. Each evaluation takes into 

account evidence judged as being favorable or unfavorable 

for the occurrence of petroleum. Attributes are also 

matched against those of known basins in a data base containing nearly 800 world basins classified according to 

both the Klemme system and the Bally and Snelson 

system (St. John and others, 1984). 
PROTOTYPE EXPERT SYSTEM FOR SEDIMENTARY BASIN CLASSIFICATION 7 

KLEMME'S BASIN 

CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM 

The first step in a systematic approach to analyzing 

sedimentary basins is defining and implementing a basin 

classification scheme that groups the basins within a global and regional tectonic framework. The reason for using 

Klemme's system, which is based on a global tectonic 

framework, is that it best satisfies the needs of such a systematic scheme, which are (Miller, 1987b ): 

1. Promotion of a system that can be used to compare all 

the world's basins within a single conceptual framework. 

2. Analysis of the distribution of petroleum resources 

within that conceptual framework. 

3. Division of complex basins into their component parts 

for analysis. 

4. Analysis of those geologic characteristics significant to 

the occurrence of petroleum resources. 

5. Comparison and evaluation of favorable petroleum 

zones or hydrocarbon plays within and between basins 

and basin types. 

6. Prediction by means of evaluating the favorability of 

petroleum occurrence in little-known or frontier basins 

on the basis of analogs within known or similar basin 

classes. 

Table 1 shows Klemme's petroleum basin classes, the 

crustal tectonic location for each basin class, and the 

equivalent file codes used in muPETROL. 

BUILDING BASIN MODELS 

The critical constituents or rules for the basin models 

in muPETROL, which relate geologic observations or evidence to the hypotheses, are represented by logic diagrams 

known as inference nets. These are networks that illustrate 

the logic used to infer the likelihood of occurrence of a 

particular basin type on the basis of the combined presence or absence of a set of geologic attributes. Such networks are embodied in particular genetic-geologic models. 

A single network is equivalent to a collection of plausible 

rules. In general, a rule has the form: 

IF <antecedent> THEN <rule-strength> <rule-strength> 

<consequent> 

or, 

IF E THEN (to some degree) H 

that is interpreted to mean "The observed evidence E suggests (to some degree) the hypothesis H," as shown in figure 4 (Waterman and Hayes-Roth, 1983; Waterman, 1986; 

Reboh, 1981). The hypothesis (right-hand side, or RHS) of 

the form is affected by the evidence (left-hand side, or 

LHS) in the rule. A probability can be associated with 

each observation or hypothesis (Miller, 1987b). 

Inference rules of the form: 

<evidence> --> <hypothesis> 

constitute the primary structure for encoding geologic 

knowledge in the basin models. In the inference network 

for the basin models, different pieces of geologic evidence 

can be combined logically to form a single compound 

piece of evidence using the primitive logic operators 

AND, OR, and NOT. The rules can be interconnected in 

various ways by means of either forward or backward 

chaining, where the hypothesis for one rule is the evidence 

for another or where the same piece of evidence has bearing on several different hypotheses (Miller, 1987b). In 

backward chaining, the problem-solving technique is characterized by working backward from the hypothesized 

goal or conclusion toward the known facts, whereas forward chaining uses data to arrive at a solution to the 

problem by moving forward from known facts toward the 

hypothesis. 

Figure 5 shows an example of a simple forwardchaining inference network encoding a muPETROL basin 

Table 1. Klemme basin classification and muPETROL expert-system file identification. 

[Modified from St. John and others (1984, table 2, p. 5)] 

Petroleum basin classes Crustal tectonic location 

I. Craton interior basins .............................. Continental 

II. Continental multicycle basins: 

A. Craton margin composite .................. Continental 

B. Craton-accreted margin complex ... Continental 

C. Crustal collision zoneconvergent plate margin .................... Convergent margin "collision" 

III. Continental rifted basins: 

A. Craton and accreted zone rift ............ Continental 

B. Rifted convergent margin .................. Convergent margin, 

oceanic "consumption" 

C. Rifted passive margin ........................ Divergent margin "pull apart" 

IV. Delta basins-Tertiary to Recent.. .......... Continental and all margins 

V. Forearc basins ......................................... Convergent margin "consumption" 

muPETROL file code1 

CRATON 

IIAMARG 

IIBCAMB 

CCZM 

CAZR 

RCM 

RPM 

DELTA 

FOREAC 

1 Basin file names appearing in menu of options when running the muPETROL expert system (Miller, 1987b, 

p. 11). 
8 OBJECT-ORIENTED EXPERT-SYSTEM APPLICATIONS TO SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 

H 1 

H2 H3 H4 

H5 

Figure 4. Inference net showing how IF-THEN rules of the form 

"IF E (evidence) THEN (to some degree) H (hypothesis)" constitute the primary structure for encoding geologic knowledge in basin 

class models. Simpler pieces of evidence can be combined to form 

more complex pieces of evidence where the hypothesis (H5) for one 

rule becomes the evidence for other rules (H2 and H3) or where the 

same piece of evidence (E4) supports several different hypotheses 

(H3 and H4). Modified from Miller (1987b, p. 4). 

model for Klemme basin class IliA using 15 rules and 29 

nodes with identified name-codes for each node. The 

questions are asked in a uniform manner so that the user 

can answer YES, NO, or DON'T KNOW to each question. A YES answer to the question (for available evidence) leads to the next node or decision in the network. 

If all the geologic evidence is present or favorable, the 

system will conclude by classifying and identifying the 

basin type as determined by the Klemme basin classification system. If any answer is NO, the system will suggest 

another class of basin within the Klemme classification 

scheme. 

The muPETROL knowledge base contains 9 basin 

models that have more than 160 rules and 300 nodes with 

identified name-codes and an Introduction and Tutorial 

model that has more than 45 rules and 60 nodes, for a 

total of more than 200 rules and nearly 400 nodes (Miller, 

1987b, c). Appendix A lists the header file for the 

muPETROL expert system, and the computer listing for 

Figure 5. A muPETROL inference net for Klemme class 

IITA-Craton and Accreted Zone Rift Basins. This muPETROL 

expert-system model 5, file code CAZR, is listed in appendix B. 

From Miller (1987b, p. 55). 

the class IliA inference-net structure CAZR shown in figure 5 is given in appendix B. 

In preparing a basin model, the general structural 

form of the inference network is constructed as follows 

(Miller, 1987b): 

1. Establish the nature of the basin's crustal basement: 

continental crust (craton interior or accreted marginal 

zones) or oceanic crust. 

2. Determine the tectonic framework relative to any past 

plate movement (plate tectonics) involved in the 

formation of the basin: divergent, convergent, or the 

presence of both styles of tectonics over geologic time. 
PROTOTYPE EXPERT SYSTEM FOR SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 9 

3. Determine the geographic location of the regional or basin area relative to global geography: North American 

interior craton, Atlantic oceanic margin, and so on. 

4. Describe the structural evolution of the basin by 

identifying the characteristics of the basin-modifying 

or basin-forming tectonics: structural movements, 

types of faulting, and so on. 

5. Describe the stratigraphic evolution of the basin by 

characterizing the depositional cycles relative to the 

tectonic periods: a range from simple, single-cycle, 

craton-interior basins to multicycle, craton-accreted 

margin basins. 

APPLICATION OF BASIN MODELS 

A basin evaluation using muPETROL consists of a 

probabilistic estimate of the likelihood of occurrence of a 

specific basin type coupled with documentation of the 

geologic reasons or geologic attributes on which the evaluation is based. Each evaluation takes into account evidence judged as being favorable or unfavorable, which is 

useful in determining essential missing information or 

reassessing uncertain data in either frontier or partially 

explored areas. 

Once constructed, a geologic basin model can be 

used as an evaluation of the favorability of a basin match 

and as a preliminary geologic investigation leading to a 

more detailed basin analysis. In the simplest example, a 

model can be used to evaluate a region or a basin area by 

subjectively deciding how well it matches the characteristics of any one of the nine Klemme basin classes (table 1). 

Thus, a geologist can use each basin model as a tool for 

reviewing the regional geology of a basin class to compare, classify, and assess the favorability for petroleum 

occurrence in an existing basin. 

Regardless of the type of classification system used, 

these initial steps are usually taken in any preliminary 

evaluation of regional geology as the first stage of an integrated, methodical, and detailed sedimentary basin analysis (Kingston and others, 1983a, b). One aspect of the 

continuing research in applying expert systems to geologic 

basin studies is to encode the basin classification models 

using a more advanced expert system development tool 

than was used for the muPETROL program, one that 

would provide the flexibility to assign certainties to the 

rules and to the geologic information available in the 

knowledge base for the respective basin. Using one of 

these newer object-oriented expert-system shells would 

also permit the integration of the basin classification system with the prototype system for conducting a more comprehensive sedimentary basin analysis. Thus, an interface 

between the two systems would be provided by using the 

same object-oriented expert-system shell as a development 

tool. Work continues on the conversion of the geologic 

basin models to the new knowledge base. 

Because interest in the muPETROL program has continued since publication in Miller (1987b, c), with frequent 

requests for copies of the software, additional work is 

being conducted on developing an updated version of this 

expert system for basin classification. 

PROTOTYPE EXPERT SYSTEM FOR 

SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 

Current work in this phase of developing an expert 

system for basin analysis consists of designing the knowledge base for a prototype expert system that will capture 

the logic used to define the geologic concepts and reasoning that enables the geologist to understand and reconstruct the geologic evolution of a sedimentary basin. This 

system is designed to provide documentation of the 

basin's major components (such as stratigraphy, structural 

geology, and sedimentology) and to analyze the traditional 

concepts of source, reservoir, and trapping mechanism, 

which will aid in the diagnosis of geologic conditions 

favorable for the occurrence of petroleum or other energy 

resources. 

KNOWLEDGE REPRESENTATION SCHEMES 

The current state-of-the-art for knowledge representation and expert-system control strategies is comparable to 

the state-of-the-art for data modeling and data-base management strategies in the late 1960's. Although basic techniques for expert-system development are in place, 

research on more efficient and effective methods of handling complex knowledge bases continues. The goals of 

such research include a better understanding of knowledge 

representation schemes and control strategies, and ways of 

matching technical issues to specific tasks. Until now, 

rule-based systems have predominated for relatively limited tasks such as classifying sedimentary basins. However, the complex task of developing an expert system to 

comprehensively analyze sedimentary basins for resource 

evaluation requires a more effective software system of 

representing the facts and relationships in a knowledge 

base than the muLISP/muPROSPECTOR program used 

for the muPETROL system. Work is currently in progress 

on applying a hybrid scheme to the design of an objectoriented expert system to create a detailed basin analysis 

program. 

HYBRID EXPERT SYSTEMS 

Some expert-system shells allow different knowledge representation methods to be used simultaneously; 

these methods are referred to as hybrid knowledge 
10 OBJECT-ORIENTED EXPERT-SYSTEM APPLICATIONS TO SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 

IF 

Conditions 

LEFT-HAND SIDE 

(LHS) 

-~ 

THEN 

Hypothesis 

I 

t 

Actions 

RIGHT-HAND SIDE 

(RHS) 

AND DO 

Figure 6. The anatomy of a rule in the knowledge base of an 

object-oriented expert system. The left-hand side (LHS) presents 

the IF conditions of the rule by means of classes or objects. The 

right-hand side (RHS) presents the THEN hypothesis AND actions. 

Rule 5 

Rule 1 

FORWARD CHAINING 

representation schemes. A hybrid expert system is a system for formalizing knowledge with a true object representation and a rule-based reasoning mechanism. Several 

examples of expert-system shells that support hybrid 

knowledge representation are KEE (Knowledge Engineering Environment by IntelliCorp, Mountain View, 

Calif.), KEYSTONE (Technology Applications, Jacksonville, Fla.), NEXPERT OBJECT (Neuron Data, Palo 

Alto, Calif.), and MAHOGANY (Emerald Intelligence, 

Ann Arbor, Mich.). These systems can accommodate 

four different knowledge representation schemes (framebased, object-oriented, rule-based, and procedure-oriented) with forward and backward chaining. Each system 

allows the use of frame-based and rule-based knowledge 

representation methods simultaneously. Systems using 

the rule-based scheme, sometimes called production systems, represent relationships in terms of condition-action 

pairs: 

IF <condition> THEN <hypothesis> AND <action> 

Rule 2 

MULTIPLE-LEVEL 

BACKWARD CHAINING 

Rule 3 

Figure 7. Multiple-rule relationships exhibiting forward and backward chaining in the knowledge base of an object-oriented expert system. Rules 1 and 2 illustrate simple data-driven forward chaining: when conditions C1 prove true, hypothesis H1 becomes true and actions 

At trigger an examination of the validity of conditions C2, which undergo the same subsequent process. Rules 3-5 illustrate multiple-level, 

goal-driven backward chaining: starting with hypothesis H3, multiple-level backward chaining tests hypotheses H2 and H4• Only H4 proves 

true, which induces backward chaining to test hypotheses H1 and H5. 
PROTOTYPE EXPERT SYSTEM FOR SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 11 

ATTRIBUTES~ 

Figure 8. A simplified hierarchical network illustrating the type 

of construction used in a frame-based, object-oriented expert system where use of frames assumes that the knowledge can be represented in blocks or categories of data. See figure 10 for a 

geologic example. Modified from Miller (1991, p. 235). 

Rules have become the dominant form of symbolic knowledge in first-generation expert systems. Figure 6 shows a 

diagrammatic view of the standard anatomy of a rule, and 

figure 7 shows the case of multiple-rule relationships that 

exhibit forward and backward chaining. 

Frame-based representations provide a means of 

structuring more complicated types of knowledge bases 

than simple rule-base systems. A frame is a group of 

attributes that describes a given object, another method of 

representing facts and relationships in a knowledge base. 

The use of frames assumes that the knowledge to be represented can be organized in chunks or blocks of data (Martin and Oxman, 1988). The types of knowledge that can be 

defined in a frame-based expert system range from collections of related facts, to relationships between such collections, to rule-based and procedural relations that reference 

the frame-based data (fig. 8). The result of this higherlevel organization is to make these systems more versatile 

tools for capturing the logic needed to define the geologic 

concepts and the reasoning under uncertainty that enables 

a geologist to analyze and understand the geologic history 

of a sedimentary basin. 

Expert-system development shells such as NEXPERT 

OBJECT and MAHOGANY are currently being used in 

the USGS in the development of expert-system applica-

--CLASSES\ 

/OBJECTS 

~SUBOBJECTS 

ATTRIBUTES--

Figure 9. An object-oriented knowledge representation of a 

class-object-attribute hierarchy in an expert system. 

tions for sedimentary basin studies. These shells are 

frame-based and rule-based object-oriented expert systems 

that provide graphical environments for applications 

development. They have the capability to support both a 

reasoning system and an object-oriented knowledge representation: rules to represent reasoning and objects to 

describe the conditions upon which the reasoning is performed. Figure 9 shows a standard object-oriented knowledge representation of a class-object-attribute hierarchy in 

an expert system. The flexible knowledge representation 

using integrated rule-based reasoning and hierarchical 

object-oriented representation facilitates access to a broad 

range of geologic applications. One of the most interesting features of the MAHOGANY system is that it permits 

the geologist to assign certainties to the rules and data, 

thereby providing a simple method of working with uncertainties in the geologic knowledge base. Neuron Data 

(1987, 1989) provides a detailed description of the NEXPERT OBJECT system, and Emerald Intelligence (1990) 

provides guidance for the MAHOGANY system. 

Work is in progress on the design and structure of a 

knowledge base for analyzing sedimentary basins using 

these expert-system shells and for the design of a knowledge base for the geologic play analysis techniques used 

to assess petroleum resources within a basin. 

EXPERT SYSTEMS FOR 

SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 

Designing an expert system for sedimentary basin 

analysis is a challenging activity involving the synthesis of 

scientific understanding of the geologic evolution of sedimentary basins into precise computer language (Miller, 
12 OBJECT-ORIENTED EXPERT-SYSTEM APPLICATIONS TO SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 

OBJECTS----

SUPERCLASS /CLASSES 

ATTRIBUTES~ 

.A. AREAL_ EXTENT_ MSU --c::l 

A DEPO-ENVIRONMENT --1::::1 

-'-DEPTH_ TOP _MSU ----c::J 

.6. GEOLOGIC _AGE D 

-'.uTHOLOGY _MSU---D 

e PRINCIPAL_RESERVOIRS ~-----AlMSU NAME 0 

e MAJOR_ STAAT_ UNIT 

A PRODUCTIVE-STATUS --c::J 

A THICKNESS_MSU ---c::J 

e UTHOLOGY _MSU 

-TRAPPING .6. COAL_PEAT D 

e SOURCE_BEDS AooLOMITE CJ 

AIGN_META CJ 

AuMESTONE CJ 

.!.SANDSTONE D 

.A. sHALE CJ 

A siLTSTONE CJ 

Figure 10. A geologic basin analysis object network il1ustrating the superclass BASIN STRATIGRAPHY and its five classes. The objects 

for the classes Principal Reservoirs and Lithology of the Major Stratigraphic Units (MSU) are shown. Each object would contain a number 

of characteristic attributes. 

1987b ). A diagrammatic overview of part of a basin 

analysis object network is shown in figure 10. This figure 

illustrates basin stratigraphy as a superclass consisting of 

five classes (principal reservoirs, major stratigraphic units, 

lithology of major stratigraphic units, trapping mechanisms, and source beds), with the objects for two of the 

classes being detailed. It demonstrates the frame-based 

expert-system scheme used to structure the complicated 

types of geologic knowledge needed for the sedimentary 

basin knowledge base. The goal in designing the system 

is to analyze the likelihood of occurrence of petroleum 

resources on the basis of the combined presence or 

absence of a variety of geologic conditions represented in 

the history or evolution of a sedimentary basin (MilJer, 

1989, 1991). 

In preparing a basin knowledge base, the general 

structural form of the inference network is patterned after 

geologic data formats that were designed by the USGS to 

help geologists characterize a petroleum basin or province 

and to provide and document the input essential for 

evaluating a basin's resource potential. These data formats 

were used by the USGS in two national petroleum 

resource assessment studies in Miller and others (1975) 

and Dolton and others (1981). The general structural form 

of the knowledge representation designed for the expert 

system includes the following eight phases: 

1. Identify and determine the geographic and tectonic 

location of a basin or province. 

2. Establish Klemme's tectonic and regional criteria for 

classifying sedimentary basins within the global 

framework and identify basin analogs. 

3. Define in detail the tectonic and structural evolution 

of a given basin and identify the characteristics of the 

basin-forming and basin-modifying tectonics. Specifically address the attributes used in interpretive basin 

studies for trap types and trapping mechanisms. 

4. Define the stratigraphic evolution of the basin by 

characterizing its depositional history. Specifically 

determine the characteristics of the source beds, 

reservoir, and cap rocks (seals) present in the basin. 
FUZZY -LOGIC EXPERT SYSTEMS 13 

5. Characterize in detail the attributes of a stratigraphic 

cross section of the basin (in particular, the major 

stratigraphic units and depositional cycles, and all 

reservoir and source beds by their specific properties). 

6. Characterize the geothermal history, including temperature regimes, timing for hydrocarbon migration relative to trap development, and the basin's essential 

hydrodynamic properties relative to petroleum trapping. 

7. Compile hydrocarbon data and determine the status 

of exploration for the basin. Include well data, field 

and reservoir data, and production and reserve data. 

8. Characterize a three-dimensional analysis of the sedimentary basin, basin modeling, and the interpolation 

of petroleum-producing trends (play analysis). Interface with GIS programs for computer graphics such 

as maps, contouring, cross sections, and three-dimensional diagrams (Miller, 1992). 

Specific applications in progress concern the design 

and structure of this basin analysis knowledge base and 

defining the geologic context of the rules establishing the 

criteria needed to determine the conditions favorable for 

the origin, migration, and occurrence of petroleum 

resources within a basin. 

PROTOTYPE EXPERT SYSTEM 

FOR PLAY ANALYSIS 

Play analysis has become a frequently used technique 

to assess petroleum resources in a basin. This technique 

consists of using various geologic models and Monte 

Carlo simulation or probabilistic methods for analyzing a 

geologic play to aid in petroleum resource assessment 

work. The geologic model for a play analysis usually 

consists of three classes of geologic attributes that define 

the play, the prospect, and the reservoir. The basic model 

was first used by the USGS and the Office of Mineral Policy and Research Analysis of the Department of the Interior in assessing the petroleum resources in the National 

Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) (U.S. Department of 

the Interior, 1979; Miller, 1981a,b, 1982, 1987a; White, 

1981). Figure 11 shows the form for compiling data for 

the geologic model used to assess oil and gas resources 

with the play analysis system in the NPRA study. 

Work is currently in progress to adapt the geologic 

model used in the play analysis to an expert-system 

knowledge base. The purpose is to capture the logic used 

to define the geologic model and the reasoning used by 

the geologist to construct the play concept while incorporating the high degree of uncertainty involved in the 

knowledge base due to the incomplete geologic information generally available. Comparisons of several expertsystem development tools are currently under investigation 

for use in building the knowledge base for the geologic 

model. The goal is to provide an embedded expert-system 

approach to the model incorporated within the play analysis system such that it would interface with the computer 

programs providing the probabilistic methods. An expert 

system applied to play analysis aids the geologist in compiling the geologic and reservoir engineering data necessary for running the probabilistic methods for calculating 

the amount of petroleum resources within each play. 

FUZZY -LOGIC EXPERT SYSTEMS 

Rule-based expert systems have been the biggest success story in AI, far more successful than any other AI 

development. However, such systems still have significant drawbacks. Briefly, some of the problems include: 

1. Finding an expert that is able to articulate the rules 

that define the solution to the problem domain and, if 

more than one expert is involved, getting them to 

agree. 

2. Requiring a reasonable length of development time 

for a usable system. 

3. Experiencing performance drop-off if the problem 

deviates even slightly from the expected problem 

domain. 

4. Requiring a certain level of user expertise to determine whether the problem can be reliably solved. 

5. Dealing with maintenance and updating problems on 

large and complex rule-based expert systems. 

6. Enduring long execution times for large and complex 

systems. 

7. Recognizing that some problems are not amenable to 

solutions using a set of known rules-not every 

problem is solved by applying rules (Caudill, 1990b). 

Neural networks-network-based expert systems used 

in a particular problem domain-have been very successful but, like rule-based expert systems, they also have 

problems that can interfere with their use in a particular 

environment. One of the greatest problems is that neural 

nets never explain themselves. A rule-based system can 

display a list of the rules it has used to reach a conclusion. 

A neural network can't justify its response-no rules or 

logical-reasoning processes exist to print out. The network 

doesn't reason its way from problem to solution; it reacts 

to the problem input with a response that, as with a human 

expert, just "feels right." Many problems are not amenable 

to solutions by neural networks, and building an explanation facility into an average network is difficult, if not 

impossible. Neural networks generally work best when 

trained with an ample supply of data examples (analogs). 

If few examples exist and data collection is costly, training a network on too little data risks developing a network 

that has memorized its limited examples and incorrectly 

generalizes new ones; the resulting systems may be 
14 OBJECT-ORIENTED EXPERT-SYSTEM APPLICATIONS TO SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 

Oil and Gas Appraisal Data Form 

Evaluator: Play Name ----------------

Date Evaluated: -----------------

... (/) 

u (]) (]) ... a. :::J C/):9 

0 ..... 

ci: ~ <t: 

(/) 

~ :::J 

.0 ·s 

~ 

(]) 

E 

:::J 

0 

> 

c 

0 

.0 

m 

u 

0 

-c 

> 

I 

Attribute 

Hydrocarbon Source 

Timing 

Migration 

Potential Reservoir Facies 

Marginal Play Probability 

Trapping Mechanism 

Effective Porosity (>3%) 

Hydrocarbon Accumulation 

Conditional Deposit 

Probability 

Reservoir Lithology 

Hydrocarbon 

Area of Closure 

(x1 0 3 Acres) 

Reservoir Thickness /vertic a I 

closure (Ft) 

Effective Porosity 

% 

Trap Fill (%) 

Reservoir Depth 

(x1 0 3 Ft) 

No. of drillable prospects 

(a play characteristic) 

Sand 

Carbonate 

Gas 

Oil 

Probability of 

Favorable 

or Present 

Probability of equal to or greater than 

100 95 75 50 25 5 0 

Proved Reserves (x 106 Bbl; TCF) (If known production) 

Comments 

Figure 11. Oil and gas appraisal data form used to assess resources in the play-analysis system for the NPRA study (U.S. Department 

of the Interior, 1979, p. 121). 
FUZZY -LOGIC EXPERT SYSTEMS 15 

frequently wrong. Extremely large networks, however, 

aren't feasible with today's technology; they can be constructed, but they can't be effectively provided with an 

adequate supply of data examples. An additional problem 

with networks is that they can generate their own set of 

key features when solving problems that are unknown to 

the user. These features may not correspond to those that 

the user finds obvious (Caudill, 1990b). 

One of the new techniques being explored in the AI 

world is the application of fuzzy logic and fuzzy-set theory, which may be helpful in applying rule-based systems 

to a wider variety of problems. Fuzzy systems, a branch of 

mathematics dealing with uncertain statements, have been 

around since they were first proposed by }:ukasiewicz 

(1921). The intellectual appeal of fuzzy systems is clear 

when faced with the restraints of Aristotelian logic, which 

says a thing is something or it isn't. In 1965, Lotfi A. 

Zadeh, recognized as the father of fuzzy logic, codified 

and expanded on l'..ukasiewicz's work and gave the scientific world the mathematical theory needed to work with 

the concept of fuzzy sets (Schwartz, 1990). A hybrid system that incorporates fuzzy logic with rule-based and network-based expert systems could extend and enhance the 

logic capabilities of both varieties to broader and more 

diverse or complex areas of application. Elements 

designed to solve interpretive geologic problems are being 

studied relative to the use of fuzzy logic for imprecisedata applications. 

In contrast to Boolean true-or-false logic systems, 

fuzzy logic aims at formalizing modes of reasoning that 

are approximate rather than exact (Zadeh, 1992). The 

imprecise and uncertain knowledge that frequently is a 

part of the object-oriented data base is the primary reason 

for encouraging the integration of fuzzy logic with expert 

systems. The foundation for approximate reasoning is 

grounded in fuzzy logic, that is, the logic underlying the 

mode of approximate or inexact reasoning (Fang and others, 1991 ). Fuzzy logic's tolerance for imprecision would 

be essential to the geologist, who needs the ability to infer 

an answer to a question based on a store of information 

that is often incomplete, inexact, or interpretive. 

Fuzzy logic provides a wide variety of concepts and 

techniques for representing and inferring knowledge that is 

imprecise, uncertain, or unreliable (Zadeh, 1992). At this 

time, however, what is employed in most practical applications is a relatively limited but important concept, centered on the use of fuzzy IF-THEN rules, which allows for 

partial membership in a set. A fuzzy rule-based system 

uses degree-of-membership functions, which translate the 

value of an item (like the size of an object) into a number 

between 0 and 1 that indicates the extent to which it 

belongs to a set. The system thus transforms imprecise 

input values into fuzzy input values, applies these values 

as antecedents (conditions) to rules in the rule base, combines the consequences (actions) of executed rules into 

~ 1.0 r----L------. 

I 

(f) 

a: 

w 

small 

co 

~ 0.7 --------------------------

w 

~ 

1..1... 

0 

w 0.3 -------------------------- w 

a: 

<.!J 

w 

0 0 

SIZE OF ITEM 

Figure 12. Degree-of-membership functions in small, medium, 

and large fuzzy sets. In this example, an item with a size value of 3 

has a 0.7 degree-of-membership in the small fuzzy set and a 0.3 degree-of-membership in the medium fuzzy set. Modified from Zadeh 

(1992, p. 24). 

one or more outputs that have degree-of-membership functions, and transforms the outputs into executable actions 

(Brubaker, 1992). 

The calculus of fuzzy IF-THEN rules provides a systematic way of handling systems in which it is advantageous to describe the input-output relations in the form of 

fuzzy IF-THEN rules. For example, the relations among 

the three variables x, y, and z can be described as: 

IF x is small and y is medium THEN z is large 

IF x is large and y is not very small THEN z is medium 

IF xis large andy is ntedium THEN z is small 

in which the linguistic values small, medium, and large 

are fuzzy sets. These relationships, which are specified by 

the designer or are induced from input-output data, are 

illustrated in figure 12 (Zadeh, 1992). 

The logic of fuzzy IF-THEN rules appears to be 

fairly simple and intuitive. It is largely self-contained and 

does not require an extensive familiarity with fuzzy-set 

theory (Zadeh, 1992). To design a fuzzy rule-based system, one needs to identify input and output variables, create fuzzy adjectives (usually three to seven, such as very 

small, small, medium, large, and very large) to describe 

each fuzzy set, determine the range of values over which 

each set is designed, determine the degree-of-membership 

axis that measures a range's membership values in the set, 

and determine the points for each fuzzy set that connect 

the degree-of-membership axis with the underlying range 

of values. Fuzzy logic, as applied through the rule base, 

represents the entire concept of imprecision and uncertainty of data using fuzzy sets, with continuous interpolation between the low and high ends of the range of values. 

Some critics, however, have gone as far as to say that 

fuzzy logic is just probability housed in a new and more 

erudite manner. The similarity between probability and 

fuzzy logic ends when considering the phenomenon that 

each attempts to model. Probability is concerned with the 

undecidability or uncertainty in the outcome of an event; 
16 OBJECT-ORIENTED EXPERT-SYSTEM APPLICATIONS TO SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 

fuzzy logic is concerned with the ambiguity or undecidability inherent in the description of the event itself. Probability is an after-the-fact measurement; fuzziness is a 

continuous and on-the-spot measurement (Cox, 1992a). 

Consider the concept of measuring tall people in a 

large crowd. We can determine the probability of selecting 

an individual who is tall if we have defined a particular 

height as the minimum height in the range for tallness (for 

example, anyone over 5 ft 9 in). An individual's height is 

a subjective judgement based upon our own height and 

our perception of societal norms. Once we have chosen 

someone who is tall, then no probability is associated with 

the selection. But there is still an intrinsic uncertainty 

about when the person is considered tall. Where are the 

boundaries between tall and medium, fair and poor, or 

large and small, and how does one handle conce.pts of 

measurement such as "above average" (Schmucker, 

1984)? Fuzzy logic covers the imprecision of our concept 

about tallness as a function of height, whereas probability 

determines the frequency with which we might expect to 

encounter tallness in a particular population. 

Ralescu and Ralescu ( 1984) noted that it is now generally accepted that probability theory and the theory of 

fuzzy sets are both used to study inexactness, the former 

as a model of statistical inexactness (due to the occurrence 

of random events) and the latter as a model of inexactness 

due to human judgement. These two approaches are not 

contradictory, neither includes the other, and neither is 

more general than the other. However, the methods of 

probability theory and fuzzy-set theory can be combined 

to model different sources of inexactness, and this combination makes possible the assessment of credibility in 

expert systems (Negoita and Ralescu, 1987). 

This discussion only scratches the surface of fuzzy 

logic and decision-making procedures and their potential 

applications. In January 1992, Cox (1992a, p. 41) stated he 

had found "* * * that hardly anyone has ever used a 

fuzzy-logic expert system or built and delivered a fuzzy 

system or even understands what we mean by a fuzzy set 

* * *" despite the seemingly successful fuzzy-logic-controlled, commercial air conditioner designed and manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Fuzzy 

logic makes it possible for the air conditioner to make 

"shades of gray" decisions the way humans do, as opposed 

to the limited YES or NO approach dictated by conventional computer logic. The system can determine the thermal characteristics of a room and temperature changes 

required and adjust its air flow to minimize heating and 

cooling times while maintaining a stable room temperature. An infrared sensor determines if anyone is in the 

room. If not, the initial temperature cycling will slow to 

reduce power consumption. Temperature cycling, stabilization, control cycles, and even the air flow directed up and 

down in a wave-like motion to distribute the air evenly, 

are fuzzy controlled, (Caudill, 1990a; Anderson, 1992). 

However, in March 1992, Cox (1992b, p. 36) noted 

that "With the proper tools and an appreciation for the 

epistemology that underlies fuzzy-model construction [the 

user] can build and deliver fuzzy-based expert systems or 

incorporate fuzzy logic into conventional knowledge-based 

applications." As noted by Zadeh (1992, p.27), "* * * 

[fuzzy logic] is likely to become a widely used tool in 

systems analysis, control, signal processing, pattern recognition, decision analysis, diagnostics, and related fields." 

With some serious investigation, it should be possible to 

integrate fuzzy logic with rule-based, object-oriented 

expert systems to extend and enhance their applications to 

the complex areas of diagnostics and decision analysis in 

various fields of the earth sciences. 

CONCLUSIONS 

Artificial Intelligence-particularly in the area of 

expert-system applications-is still in a relatively rudimentary state; there are limitations, and some hardware 

and software problems have yet to be resolved. However, 

it is important to recognize the potential of this technology 

and to realize that expert systems will become as fundamental to the use of computers as data base technology is 

today. New developments in expert-system technology 

that are progressing far beyond the simple rule-based systems include frame-based and object-oriented expert systems, expert networks, neural networks, and fuzzy-logic 

expert systems. These new techniques, when integrated 

with the basic concepts for expert systems, are creating 

hybrid expert systems with enhanced and more diverse 

areas of application. The elements of interest in these new 

systems are being investigated as tools applicable to interpretive geologic problems such as systems analysis, pattern recognition, diagnosing geologic conditions favorable 

for the occurrence of petroleum and other energy 

resources, and decision analysis. 

Users should get involved now and learn the capabilities of this technology, which is already sophisticated 

enough to assist them well beyond the scope of ordinary 

data processing. Relatively modest expert systems have 

demonstrated that the technology already exists for preserving and documenting, in usable form, knowledge and 

invaluable expertise relative to specific domains in the 

earth sciences. I am confident that with organization and 

long-term planning, the concepts of AI expert-system 

technology and knowledge-acquisition and representation 

techniques can be successfully extended to a wide spectrum of earth science applications. 

The experiences gained in this study are critical to 

the long-term objectives of designing an integrated objectoriented expert system that will incorporate geologic 

knowledge-based data systems and provide complete basin 

analyses. These analyses can be used as input to a 
REFERENCES CITED 17 

selection of credible resource appraisal methods for calculating the remaining undiscovered energy resources in a 

basin, or in a more limited area such as a play analysis 

within a basin. These expert-system procedures give the 

geologist insight into the tasks needed to: 

1. Analyze a sedimentary basin geologically by incorporating all known and analogous basin information. 

2. Interpret and relate the basin characteristics to the 

genetic occurrence and location of energy resources. 

3. Understand reasoning under uncertainty in order to 

interpret imprecise geologic information using probability techniques and fuzzy logic. 

4. Develop, select, and apply the most credible resource 

appraisal methods for estimating the energy resources 

of a basin. 

5. Provide complete documentation of the information 

used, the geologic assumptions made, and the methodology that was applied for any particular assessment. 

Designing geologic models for sedimentary basin 

classification and analysis using expert systems has not 

only proved to be feasible, but also an interesting and 

challenging project. The process, which involves synthesizing geologic understanding of, and expertise in, specific 

sedimentary basin models into a precise language, provides new insights into the logic for defining more explicit 

geologic concepts and reasoning (particularly reasoning 

under uncertainty) and becomes in itself a learning experience. Expert-system technology will provide challenging 

new tools both for industry and for research activities and 

may introduce a breakthrough in knowledge acquisition 

and data interpretation in the earth sciences. 

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APPENDIXES 
22 OBJECT-ORIENTED EXPERT-SYSTEM APPLICATIONS TO SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 

APPENDIX A.-HEADER FILE FOR THE muPETROL EXPERT SYSTEM (Source: 

Miller, 1987b, p. 12) 

TITLE /* WORLD BASIN CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM 

FOR PETROLEUM RESOURCE APPRAISAL 

DESIGNED BY BETTY M. MILLER */ 

HELLO /* I am here to assist you in classifying your sedimentary basin in order to appraise its potential for hydrocarbon resources. *I 

PURPOSE/* This is the first phase of a prototype expert system, called muPETROL, designed by Betty M. Miller, 

to assist in classifying the sedimentary basins of the world by using the Klemme world basin classification scheme 

with respect to the petroleum potential of the basin. */ 

FILENAMES/* START CRATON IIAMARG IIBCAMB CCZM CAZR RCM RPM DELTA FOREAC */ 

OBJLST /* --An Introduction And Tutorial 

I---------- Craton Interior Basins 

IIA------- Craton Margin Composite Basins 

liB------- Craton-Accreted Margin Complex Basins 

IIC------- Crustal Collision Zone-Convergent Plate Margin Basins 

IliA------ Craton and Accreted Zone Rift Basins 

IIIB ------ Rifted Convergent Margin Basins 

IIIC------ Rifted Passive Margin Basins 

IV-------- Delta Basins 

V --------- Forearc Basins *I 

BANNER/* WORLD BASIN CLASSIFICATION *I 

OBJECT/* basin */ ATTRIBUTE/* area */ 

STOP 
APPENDIXES 23 

APPENDIX B.-INFERENCE NET AND LISTING FOR CLASS IliA-CRATON AND 

ACCRETED ZONE RIFT BASINS (MODEL 5), FILE NAME CAZR (Source: Miller, 1987b, 

p. 55-59) 

modelCAZR 

topspace CAZ 

space CAZ desc /*Location of prospective basin relative to continental rather than oceanic crust*/ 

ques /* IS YOUR BASIN LOCATED ON CONTINENTAL CRUST OR PRIMARILY CONTINENTAL CRUST 

(PLATES), AS OPPOSED TO BEING LOCATED PRIMARILY ON OCEANIC CRUST OR OCEANIC PLATES *I 

expl /* I am trying to determine if the position of the basin relative to the Earth's major crustal zones is predominantly on continental rather than on oceanic crust*/ yes CON no OCE 

announce/* The following questions are intended to aid in the classification of Continental Rifted Basins. */ 

space OCE desc /* Basins located on oceanic crust or partially on oceanic crust *I 

inf /* Your basin is an oceanic basin located primarily on oceanic crust. You will need to check the other basin 

models, particularly model 9, in the world basin classification system. *I 

space CON desc /* Evidence of a continental basin located along the craton margin or accreted zone margin */ 

ques /* IS YOUR BASIN LOCATED EITHER NEAR THE CRUSTAL MARGINS OF AN OLD CONTINENTAL 

PLATE OR ON AN ACCRETED ZONE MARGIN RATHER THAN ON AN INTERIOR CRATON OR AN OLD 

ACCRETED ZONE INTERIOR FROM THE MARGINS OF THE PLATE*/ 

expl /* I am trying to determine whether your basin is found along an old cratonic plate margin or a cratonic 

accreted zone at the margins of a continental plate RATHER THAN on an interior continental plate or old accreted zone 

interior from the margins of the plate*/ yes MARG no INSIDE 

space INSIDE desc /* Description of a Craton-Accreted Margin Complex Basin */ 

inf /* You may have a continental multicycle basin of the Craton-Accreted Margin Complex type and described in 

this world basin classification system as a Class liB basin, model 3. You may wish to check this model. */ 

space MARG desc /*Evidence of a non-Tethyan cratonic margin and/or Craton-Accreted Margin Complex Basin*/ 

ques /* DO YOU HAVE A BASIN THAT IS A NON-TETHYAN CRATONIC MARGIN BASIN AND IS 

LOCATED ON AN ACCRETED ZONE AT THE MARGINS OF THE CRATON*/ 

expl/* I am trying to determine if your basin is a non-Tethyan basin, and is also located either on the margins of a 

cratonic plate or in a zone surrounding and accreted to the craton, such as that of Phanerozoic welding of displaced 

terranes for example, rather than a Tethyan basin on an accreted zone*/ yes ACCRT no TETHY 

space TETHY desc /* Description of a Tethyan basin model *I 

inf /* From the description of your basin you may have a continental multicycle basin of the Class II type and the 

Crustal Collision Zone-Convergent Plate Margin Basin, IIC, model 4. Please check model 4 in this basin classification 

system. */ 

space ACCRT desc /*Evidence of an extension basin modified by local wrench compression *I 

ques /* DO YOU HAVE A BASIN WHICH EXHIBITS EXTENSION CHARACTERISTICS CAUSED BY 

DIVERGENCE WITH TENSION BLOCK FAULTING AND SUBSIDENCE */ 

expl /* I am trying to determine if you have a Craton-Accreted Margin Complex Basin that exhibits extension 

characteristics with possibly a rift-sag sequence */yes SHAPE no CONY 

space CONY desc /* Description of a Craton-Accreted Margin Complex Basin */ 

inf /* From the description of your basin you may have a Craton-Accreted Margin Complex Basin that is located 

within an area of convergent plate movement. Your basin may be either a Crustal Collision Zone-Convergent Plate 

Margin Basin of Class IIC, model 4, or a Rifted Convergent Margin Basin of Class IIIB, model 6. *I 
24 OBJECT-ORIENTED EXPERT-SYSTEM APPLICATIONS TO SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 

space SHAPE desc I* Evidence of a symmetrical elongate basin *I 

ques I* DO YOU HAVE AN ELONGATED BASIN THAT IS SMALL-TO-MODERATE IN SIZE AND ESSENTIALLY SYMMETRICAL IN PROFILE *I 

expl I* I am trying to determine whether your basin is essentially elongated in shape and symmetrical in profile *I 

yes SYM no ASYM 

space ASYM desc I* Description of an asymmetrical basin *I 

inf I* From the description of your basin you may have a Craton-Accreted Margin Complex Basin with possibly an 

asymmetrical profile. You may wish to check some of the other basin descriptions in Class II or Class III for classification. *I 

space SYM desc I* Evidence of an irregular symmetrical basin *I 

ques I* DO YOU HAVE A SYMMETRICAL BASIN WITH AN IRREGULAR SEDIMENT-TO-BASEMENT 

CONTACT *I 

expll* I am trying to determine if your elongated, symmetrical basin has an irregular sediment-to-basement contact 

due to rift faulting and rift fill *I yes IRRG no EVEN 

space EVEN desc I* Description of a cratonic margin basin with a smooth symmetrical profile *I 

inf I* From the description of your basin you may have either a modified Craton Interior Basin of the Klemme Class 

I, model 1, or you may have a Delta Basin of the Klemme Class IV, model 8. You should check these other basin 

models. *I 

space IRRG desc I* Evidence of a symmetrical, unidirectionally rifted basin *I 

ques I* DO YOU HAVE A SYMMETRICALLY ELONGATED BASIN WITH A UNIDIRECTIONALL Y RIFTED 

BASEMENT WHERE SINGLE RIFTS OR LOCALLY MULTIPLE RIFTS ARE OVERLAIN BY A LINEAR SAG AS 

OPPOSED TO A BASIN WITH A RANDOM DIRECTIONALLY RIFTED BASEMENT AND BASEMENT FILL IS 

OVERLAIN BY A CIRCULAR TO LOBATE SAG *I 

expl I* I am trying to determine if you have a unidirectionally rifted basin overlain by a linear sag, as opposed to a 

randomly directional rifted basin overlain by a circular to lobate sag *I yes UNI no RAND 

space RAND desc I* Description of a Class liB basin *I 

inf I* From the description of your basin you may have a Klemme Class liB basin of the Continental Multicycle, 

Craton-Accreted Margin Complex type. Please check basin model3. *I 

space UNI desc I* Evidence of an irregular, symmetrical basin with a horizontal profile *I 

ques I* DOES YOUR IRREGULAR, SYMMETRICAL BASIN HAVE AN ESSENTIALLY HORIZONTAL PROFILE (LEVEL) AS OPPOSED TO A TILTED PROFILE *I 

expl I* I am trying to determine whether you have an essentially level basin as opposed to a basin that has been 

tilted seaward *I yes LEVL no TILT 

space TILT desc I* Description of a Class IIIC basin *I 

inf I* From your basin description you may have a symmetrical, irregular basin tilted seaward that is of the Class 

IIIC type. Please check basin model 7. *I 

space TWO desc I* Evidence of a two-cycle, craton and accreted zone, rift basin *I 

ques I* DO YOU HAVE A BASIN WITH TWO MAJOR MORPHOLOGIC CYCLES OR SEQUENCES, WHOSE 

FIRST CYCLE IS USUALLY A WELL-DEVELOPED SINGLE RIFT OR A UNIDIRECTIONAL AND PARALLEL 

SET OF CLOSELY SPACED RIFTS AND GRABENS, OVERLAIN BY A SECOND CYCLE LINEAR SAG PARALLEL TO THE UNDERLYING RIFTS *I 

expl I* I am trying to determine if your two-cycle basin has the exact sequence as described in the question, as 

opposed to a two-cycle basin with a different sequence described for a two-cycle basin *I yes IliA no OTHER 
APPENDIXES 25 

space LEVL desc /* Evidence of a two-cycle basin *I 

ques /* DO YOU HAVE A BASIN WITH EXACTLY TWO CYCLES AS OPPOSED TO A BASIN WITH MORE 

THAN TWO MAJOR MORPHOLOGIC CYCLES OR SEQUENCES */ 

expl/* I am trying to determine if you have a two cycle basin rather than a basin with three (or more) cycles */yes 

TWO no MORE 

space IliA desc /*Evidence of a Class IliA basin*/ 

announce /* Congratulations! You have successfully described a two-cycle, or a three-cycle elongated symmetrical, 

irregular, rifted basin of the Klemme Class IliA type: a Craton and Accreted Zone Rift Basin. The following questions 

are intended to aid in evaluating this basin more fully. */ 

ques /*DO YOU HAVE A BASIN SIMILAR TO, OR ONE OF THE FOLLOWING ANALOG BASINS THAT 

HAVE BEEN CLASSIFIED BY KLEMME AS CLASS IliA: ALTAR, BAY OF FUNDY, GRAND BANKS, GUAYMAS, MID-GREENLAND, OLE, JONES-LANCASTER, RIO GRANDE, SNAKE RIVER, GULF OF ST. 

LAWRENCE, VICTORIA STRAIT, COLORADO (ARGENTINA), JATOBA, SALADO, SAN JORGE, TACATU, 

TUCANO, BENUE, DOBA, FARAFRA, GAO, KAOUAR, LAKE ALBERT, LAKE EDWARD, LAKE KIVU, LAKE 

NYASA, LAKE RUDOLPH, LAKE TANGANYIKA, WEST RED SEA, SIRTE, GULF OF SIRTE, SUDAN, GULF OF 

SUEZ, TAFASSASSET, TALAK, TAMATAVE, AQUITAINE, BALEARIC, BRESSE, CANTABRIAN, CELTIC, 

EBRO FAN, HEBRIDES, HAMMERFEST, MIDLANDS, MINCH, POLISH, NORTH SEA, PORCUPINE, RHINE, 

RHONE DELTA, WEST SHETLANDS, TROMSO, WESTERN APPROACHES, DEAD SEA, FARTAK, EAST RED 

SEA, ADAVALE, ANAMBAS, ARCKARINGA, BANGKOK, BASS, BOHAI GULF, BOWEN, CAMBAY, CAMPBELL, CANTERBURY, CARNARVON, CHAIDAMUS, CHAO PHRAYA, COOPER, DANDARAGON, ERLIAN, 

FANG, FITZROY, GALILEE, GIPPSLAND, GODAVARI, GREAT SOUTH, HAILAR, HUABEI, JIANGHAN, JIUQUAN, KOREA BAY, LAURA, MALAY, NANYANG, NATUNA, PEDIRKA, PENYU, PERTH, PUKAKI, PUKAKI 

EMBAYMENT, SHANGHAI, SONGLIAO, SOUTH YELLOW SEA, STYX, SURAT, SYDNEY, NORTH TARIM, 

THAI, TULUFAN, ZHUNGEER, AGINSKIY, BALKHASH, UPPER BUREYA, CHUYI, DNEPR-DONETS, GOBI, ILYI, INDIGIRKA-ZYRYANKA, KHAN KAY, LAPTEV, LAKE BAIKAL, PRIPYAT, SHANJIANG, TASHKENTUDA, 

ZAYSAN, ZEYA-BUREYA, EAST AND WEST ROSS*/ 

expl /* I am trying to determine if you have one of the basins or a similar basin as the analog basin-types described 

by Klemme as Class IliA and listed in the question*/ yes BINGO no ALT 

space OTHER desc /* Description of other two-cycle basins */ 

inf /* If you do not have the exact description for the two major morphologic cycles and in the same sequence, you 

probably have a two-cycle basin of a different class. You may have one of the following Klemme classes: liB, IIC, IIIB 

or IIIC (models 3, 4, 6, and 7). */ 

space BINGO desc /*Description of a classic Class IliA basin*/ 

inf /* Congratulations! You have described a basin which fits the description of the Klemme Class III Continental 

Rifted Basins of the IliA type for Craton and Accreted Zone Rift Basins and you have matched the basin with one 

classified by Klemme as a IliA. You are now ready to do a more detailed basin analysis on your basin. */ 

space ALT desc /*Description of other basin analogs or other basin models*/ 

inf /* From the description of your basin it would appear that you have a Class IliA type basin of the Continental 

Rifted Craton and Accreted Zone Margins. However, you have not selected one of Klemme's classic analog basins as 

being similar to your basin. There are lists of analog basins in the published literature that you may wish to check for this 

basin class. You may also wish to check the other basin models, especially for the Class liB and IIC varieties (models 3 

and 4). */ 

space MORE desc /*Evidence of a three-cycle Class IliA basin*/ 

ques /* DO YOU HAVE A BASIN WITH THREE MAJOR MORPHOLOGIC CYCLES OR SEQUENCES, 

WHOSE FIRST CYCLE IS A PLATFORM WEDGE (OFTEN PARTIALLY ERODED) THAT ONLAPS THE CRATON, OVERLAIN BY A SECOND CYCLE OF WELL-DEVELOPED UNIDIRECTIONAL RIFTS OR A PARALLEL 

SET OF CLOSELY SPACED RIFTS AND GRABENS AND RIFT FILL, OVERLAIN IN TURN BY THE THIRD 

CYCLE OF A LINEAR SAG PARALLEL TO RIFTING*/ 
26 OBJECT-ORIENTED EXPERT-SYSTEM APPLICATIONS TO SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 

expl /* I am trying to determine if you have a basin with three major morphologic cycles or sequences that can 

be described exactly and in the same order as listed in the question. If you have more than three cycles or if your 

three cycles are not as described in the question, then answer NO */yes THREE no ALTI 

space ALTI desc /*Description of other basin models*/ 

inf /* According to your basin description you appear to have a Class IliA basin. However, your description of a 

three-cycle basin does not fit the Klemme Class IliA model for a three-cycle basin. You may have a basin of either 

the Klemme Class IIA, liB, or IIC models or you might have a Class IIIC model basin. Please check basin models 2, 

3, 4, and 7. */ 

space THREE desc /* Evidence of a three-cycle Class IliA basin *I 

announce /* Congratulations! You have described a three-cycle basin of the Klemme Class III Continental 

Rifted Basin of the IliA Craton and Accreted Zone Rift variety. The following questions are intended to evaluate 

your basin more fully*/ 

ques /* WOULD YOU LIKE TO CHECK THE LIST OF ANALOG BASINS CLASSIFIED BY KLEMME AS 

CLASS IliA BASINS FOR A MATCH WITH YOUR BASIN */ 

expl /* I am trying to determine if you have a basin similar to the list of analog basins or one of the analog 

basins in the list taken from Klemme's as described in the question */yes IliA no ALT 

STOP 
GLOSSARY 

[Definitions are modified or updated from: Harmon and King, 1985; Hayes-Roth, Waterman, and Lenat, 1983; Martin and Oxman, 

1988; Miller, 1981b; Waterman, 1986; Williamson, 1986; Winston and Prendergast, 1984; and Zadeh, 1992] 

Abstraction (abstract data). Formation of an idea or concept, as of the qualities or properties of a thing or item, by mental separation from particular instances or values or 

material objects. A concept, idea, or rule of thumb expressing a quality thought of 

apart from any particular instance or material object. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI). The subfield of computer science concerned with designing 

intelligent computer systems that exhibit the characteristics associated with intelligence in human behavior. AI involves concepts of methods of symbolic inference by 

a computer and the symbolic representation of the knowledge to be used in making 

inferences. This includes programs that can solve problems, reason logically, learn 

from experience, understand language, interpret visual scenes, and, in general, behave 

in a way that would be considered intelligent if observed in a human. 

Attribute (property, slot). A characteristic or value of an object. A feature or component of an object in a frame. Attributes may correspond to intrinsic features such as 

names, definitions, or descriptive characteristics or they may represent derived properties such as values, significance, or analogous objects. 

Backward chaining (back chaining). In a rule-based system, a control procedure or 

problem-solving technique characterized by working backward from the hypothesized conclusions or goals toward known facts. The system, initiated by a goal-directed inference, attempts to determine if the rule is true. It backs up to the IF clauses 

(facts) of the rule and tries to determine if they are correct. This, in turn, leads the system to consider other rules that would confirm the IF clauses. In this way, the system 

starts with what it wants to prove (the goal) and tries to establish the facts it needs to 

satisfy that goal. 

Certainty (belief). A measure of the confidence placed by a user or by an expert system 

in the validity of an uncertain proposition, hypothesis, fact, or inferential rule. 

Class. In an expert system, a collection of objects that usually share attributes 

(properties). 

Expert systems. A subfield of AI. Computer programs that use expert knowledge, facts, 

and reasoning techniques to attain high levels of performance in a narrow problem 

area (domain) and to solve problems that normally require the abilities of experts. 

These programs typically represent knowledge symbolically, examine and explain 

their reasoning processes, and address problem areas that require years of special 

training and education for a person to confront. 

Expert-system shells. Computer programs that provide the framework for developing 

expert systems. These products differ from programming-language programs in that 

they already contain the control mechanisms, such as the inference engine and all of 

the subsystems, that will determine how the expert-system program will use reason to 

arrive at a conclusion. Different shells take different approaches to representing 

knowledge and reasoning. 

Forward chaining. In a rule-based system, a problem-solving technique characterized 

by working forward from known facts (IF clauses) toward conclusions (goals). Forward chaining begins by identifying all of the rules where IF clauses are true. It then 

checks what additional rules might be true, given the facts already established. This 

process is repeated until the program reaches a goal or runs out of possibilities. 
28 OBJECT-ORIENTED EXPERT-SYSTEM APPLICATIONS TO SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 

Frame. A knowledge representation method or data structure that associates one or more 

features with nodes representing concepts or objects. The features are described in 

terms of attributes and their values. The nodes form a network connected by relations 

and organized into a hierarchy much like a semantic net. Each node's attributes can be 

filled with values to help describe the concept that the node represents. A frame 

provides the set of attributes related to a specific object. 

Frame-based knowledge representations (frame-based methods). Programming methods using frame hierarchies for inheritance and procedural attachments. 

Fuzzy logic (fuzzy-set theory). An approach to approximate reasoning in which truth values and quantifiers are defined as possibility distributions that carry linguistic labels 

such as true, very true, true to some degree, and false. The rules of inference are approximate rather than exact in order to better manipulate information that is incomplete, 

imprecise, or unreliable. The degree of truth would translate to the degree (or grade) of 

membership in a particular fuzzy set. 

Geographic Information System (GIS). A computer hardware and software system designed to allow users to collect, manage, and analyze large volumes of spatially referenced data and associated attributes. A modem GIS is able to integrate data for 

different topics; from different sources; at different scales, coordinate systems, accuracies, and areal coverages; and from multiple formats such as text, maps, charts, logs, 

and remotely sensed imagery. A GIS lets the user analyze the spatial and topological 

relations among the features in the data sets as related to a known coordinate system. It 

is this ability to analyze spatial relations that distinguishes a GIS from a computer 

mapping system. 

Heuristic. A rule of thumb or other device or simplification that experts use in solving 

problems in their domains. 

Hierarchy. An ordered network of concepts or objects in which some are subordinate to 

others. Hierarchies ordinarily imply inheritance, and, thus, objects or concepts higher 

in the organization inherit objects or concepts that are beneath them in the network. 

Hybrid expert system (hybrid knowledge-representation scheme). An expert-system 

program that allows different knowledge representation methods to be used simultaneously; in our case, it is called a hybrid knowledge-representation scheme. Such a 

hybrid reasoning strategy may allow both forward and backward chaining and may 

represent a knowledge base as either frames or production rules. 

Inference. The process by which new facts are derived from known facts. 

Inference chain. The sequence of steps or rule applications used by a rule-based system 

to reach a conclusion. 

Inference, data-directed. An inference that is driven by facts or events rather than goals 

(see Forward chaining). 

Inference engine. That part of a knowledge-based system or expert system that contains 

the general problem-solving knowledge or inference and control strategies. 

Inference, goal-directed. An inference that is driven by goals rather than facts or events 

(see Backward chaining). 

Inference net (inference network). A knowledge representation method consisting of a 

network of nodes, standing for concepts or objects, connected by links describing the 

relations between the nodes (see Network). 

Inference rules (inference methods). The techniques used by the inference engine to 

access and apply the domain knowledge (for example, forward and backward chaining). 

Inheritance. A process by which attributes of one object or concept are assumed to be 

attributes of another. 
GLOSSARY 

Inheritance hierarchy. A structure in a semantic network or frame system that permits 

objects lower in the network to inherit attributes from objects higher up in the network 

(see Semantic network). 

Instance variable (instantiation). An object fitting the general characteristics of some 

class or pending process that associates definitive data objects with the conditions of a 

general purpose. The procedure for deciding on a specific value for attributes stored in 

a knowledge base. Specification of particular values. Representation of an abstraction 

by concrete examples. 

Knowledge. An integrated collection of facts, beliefs, relationships, and heuristic rules 

that a computer program must have to behave intelligently. 

Knowledge acquisition. The process of extracting, structuring, and organizing knowledge 

from some source, usually experts, so that it can be used in an expert-system program. 

Knowledge base. The body of facts, rules, and heuristics that forms the basis for a repository of knowledge in a knowledge-based computer system or expert system that contains the domain knowledge. 

Knowledge-based system (knowledge system). A decision support program containing 

a knowledge base and an inference engine; an expert or consultation system. Knowledge-based systems contain structured data and reasoning rules that link the evidence 

about a problem to derived conclusions or hypotheses. 

Knowledge representation. The process of structuring knowledge about a problem in a 

way that makes the problem easier to solve. Knowledge representation can be seen as 

a set of objects, each having a collection of attributes and a set of relationships to other 

objects. Semantic networks, production rules, frames, and logical expressions are all 

ways to represent knowledge. 

Membership function. The degree (grade) of membership for a value in a fuzzy set where 

there is undecidability concerning membership or nonmembership for a function defined for x whose values are in the unit interval [0, 1] instead of the exact values of 0 and 

1 (see Fuzzy logic). 

Monte Carlo simulation (Monte Carlo method). A repetitive statistical technique, usually done by computer, for obtaining an approximate solution to certain mathematical 

and physical problems, and characteristically involving the replacement of a probability 

distribution by sample values. 

Network (semantic net, inference net). A knowledge representation method consisting 

of nodes, standing for concepts or objects, connected by links describing the relations 

between the nodes. 

Neural networks. Computer systems, adapted from more conventional expert systems, 

that are designed to make use of some of the organizational principles (such as biological perceptual and learning systems) that are felt to be used in the human brain, thus 

the term "neural." Networks that are fairly new on the computer scene are orders of 

magnitude more flexible and powerful than most existing computer programs. 

Node. A decision point in a network or semantic net for a rule-based system. 

Object. A physical or conceptual entity that has many attributes and constitutes part or all 

of the subject matter of an investigation. When using object-oriented programming, 

each object is called a frame or unit and the attributes and values associated with it are 

stored in slots. An object is static if it only describes the generic relationship of a collection of attributes and possible values. An object is dynamic if precise values are associated with a specific example or form of the object. 

Object identity (identity). Identification of an object to establish its distinguishing 

properties using information containing characteristics that differentiate it from all 

other objects. 

29 
30 OBJECT-ORIENTED EXPERT-SYSTEM APPLICATIONS TO SEDIMENTARY BASIN ANALYSIS 

Object-oriented methods (object-oriented data bases, object-oriented expert systems). 

Computer programming methods based on the use of objects that communicate with 

one another via messages, as illustrated in a network connected by links. 

Procedure-oriented methods. Computer programming methods based on the use of instructions within slots for determining an entry (for example, multiply A times B and 

then add C). The instructions may tell a system what to do or what action to take and 

may combine information from other slots and frames. 

Production. An IF-THEN statement or rule used to represent knowledge in a human's 

long-term memory. The term used by cognitive psychologists to describe an IF-THEN 

role. 

Production rule. The type of rule used in a production system, usually expressed as IF 

condition THEN action. 

Production system. A type of rule-based expert system containing IF-THEN statements 

with conditions that may be satisfied in a data base and actions that may change the data 

base. 

Relational data base. A simple two-dimensional layout of data elements, sometimes 

referred to as a flat file, that is a common method of associating a value with a data item 

and associating data items with the relevant attributes of the entities by storing the data 

items together in a fixed sequence, such as a table consisting of rows and columns. Each 

row of data items relates to a particular entity. Each column contains a particular type 

of data item relating to a particular type of attribute. Such a table is referred to as a 

"relation." A relational data base constructed using relations is thus one constructed 

from flat arrangements of data items. 

Rule (IF-THEN rule, production rule). Representation of knowledge statements consisting of two parts. The first part, consisting of one or more IF clauses, establishes antecedent conditions or the premise that must apply if a second part, consisting of one or 

more THEN clauses with consequent propositions, is to be concluded or acted upon. 

Rules are used to support deductive processes and form the basis of knowledge formation; they are the basic building blocks of human knowledge structures. 

Rule-based system (production system). A computer program or system that uses rules 

to represent knowledge and that consists of collections of antecedent-consequent rules. 

Reasoning systems built around set rules. 

Play analysis (exploration play). A practical and meaningful planning unit around which 

an exploration program can be constructed. A play has geographic and stratigraphic 

limits and is usually confined to a formation or a group of formations that are closely 

related by lithology, depositional environment, or structural history. Play-analysis 

techniques are frequently used to assess undiscovered petroleum resources within a 

basin. 

Semantic. Pertaining to the meaning, intention, or significance of a symbolic expression 

as opposed to its form (contrast Syntactic). 

Semantic network (semantic net). A type of knowledge representation that formalizes 

objects and values as nodes and connects the nodes with links that indicate the relationships between the various nodes. 

Slot. A component of an object in a frame system. Slots can contain intrinsic features such 

as the object's name, attributes and values, attributes with default values, rules to 

determine values, pointers to related frames, and other information (see Attribute). 

Spatial analysis. A multidisciplinary concern for determining multivariate spatial-data 

relationships and for incorporating these data into multidimensional numeric models. 

The integration of multiple data sets, often visualized as multiple data layers, produces 

a synergistic effect and yields better information for decision making. A GIS is 

specifically designed to manage and analyze spatial data sets with multivariate features 

(see Geographic Information System). 
GLOSSARY 

Syntactic. Pertaining to the form or structure of a symbolic expression as opposed to its 

meaning or significance (contrast Semantic). 

Unit A frame-like representational formalism employing slots with associated values and 

procedures (see Slot). 

Uncertainty. Opposite of certainty (see Certainty). 

,!rU.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1993-774-049/66061 

31 

SELECTED SERIES OF U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PUBLICATIONS 

Periodicals 

Earthquakes & Volcanoes (issued bimonthly). 

Preliminary Determination of Epicenters (issued monthly). 

Technical Books and Reports 

Professional Papers are mainly comprehensive scientific reports 

of wide and lasting interest and importance to professional scientists and 

engineers. Included are reports on the results of resource studies and of 

topographic, hydrologic, and geologic investigations. They also include 

collections of related papers addressing different aspects of a single scientific topic. 

Bulletins contain significant data and interpretations that are of 

lasting scientific interest but are generally more limited in scope or geographic coverage than Professional Papers. They include the results of 

resource studies and of geologic and topographic investigations; as well 

as collections of short papers related to a specific topic. 

Water-Supply Papers are comprehensive reports that present significant interpretive results of hydrologic investigations of wide interest 

to professional geologists, hydrologists, and engineers. The series covers 

investigations in all phases of hydrology, including hydrology, availability of water, quality of water, and use of water. 

Circulars present administrative information or important scientific information of wide popular interest in a format designed for distribution at no cost to the public. Information is usually of short-term interest. 

Water-Resources Investigations Reports are papers of an interpretive nature made available to the public outside the formal USGS publications series. Copies are reproduced on request unlike formal USGS 

publications, and they are also available for public inspection at depositories indicated in USGS catalogs. 

Open-File Reports include unpublished manuscript reports, maps, 

and other material that are made available for public consultation at depositories. They are a nonpermanent form of publication that maybe cited in other publications as sources of information. 

Maps 

Geologic Quadrangle Maps are multicolor geologic maps on topographic bases in 7 1/2- or 15-minute quadrangle formats (scales mainly 1:24,000 or 1:62,500) showing bedrock, surficial, or engineering 

geology. Maps generally include brief texts; some maps include structure 

and columnar sections only. 

Geophysical Investigations Maps are on topographic or planimetric bases at various scales, they show results of surveys using geophysical techniques, such as gravity, magnetic, seismic, or radioactivity, which 

reflect subsurface structures that are of economic or geologic significance. Many maps include correlations with the geology. 

Miscellaneous Investigations Series Maps are on planimetric or 

topographic bases of regular and irregular areas at various scales; they 

present a wide variety of format and subject matter. The series also includes 7 1/2-minute quadrangle photogeologic maps on planimetric 

bases which show geology as interpreted from aerial photographs. The 

series also includes maps of Mars and the Moon. 

Coal Investigations Maps are geologic maps on topographic or 

planimetric bases at various scales showing bedrock or surficial geology, 

stratigraphy, and structural relations in certain coal-resource areas. 

Oil and Gas Investigations Charts show stratigraphic information for certain oil and gas fields and other areas having petroleum potential. 

Miscellaneous Field Studies Maps are multicolor or black-andwhite maps on topographic or planimetric bases on quadrangle or irregular areas at various scales. Pre-1971 maps show bedrock geology in relation to specific mining or mineral-deposit problems; post-1971 maps 

are primarily black-and-white maps on various subjects such as environmental studies or wilderness mineral investigations. 

Hydrologic Investigations Atlases are multicolored or black-andwhite maps on topographic or planimetric b.ases presenting a wi~ r~ge 

of geohydrologic data of both regular and Irregular areas; the pnnc1pal 

scale is 1 :24,000, and regional studies are at 1 :250,000 scale or smaller. 

Catalogs 

Permanent catalogs, as well as some others, giving comprehensive 

listings of U.S. Geological Survey publications are available under the 

conditions indicated below from USGS Map Distribution, Box 25286, 

Building 810, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225. (See latest 

Price and Availability List.) 

"Publications of the Geological Survey, 1879-1961" may be purchased by mail and over the counter in paperback book form and as a set 

microfiche. 

"Publications ofthe Geological Survey, 1962-1970'' may be purchased by mail and over the counter in paperback book form and as a set 

of microfiche. 

"Publications of the U.S. Geological Survey, 1971-1981" may be 

purchased by mail and over the counter in paperback book form (two 

volumes, publications listing and index) and as a set of microfiche. 

Supplements for 1982, 198~. 1984, 1985, 1986, and for sub~­

quent years since the last permanent catalog may be purchased by mall 

and over the counter in paperback book form. 

State catalogs, "List of U.S. Geological Survey Geologic and Water-Supply Reports and Maps For (State)," may be purchased by mail and 

over the counter in paperback booklet form only. 

"Price and Availability List of U.S. Geological Survey Publica· 

tions," issued annually, is available free of charge in paperback booklet 

form only. 

Selected copies of a monthly catalog "New Publications of the 

U.S. Geological Survey" is available free of charge by mail or may be 

obtained over the counter in paperback booklet form only. Those wishing 

a free subscription to the monthly catalog "New Publications of the U.S. 

Geological Survey" should write to the U.S. Geological Survey, 582 National Center, Reston, VA 22092. 

Note.-Prices of Government publications listed in older catalogs, 

announcements, and publications may be incorrect. Therefore, the prices 

charged may differ from the prices in catalogs, announcements, and publications.