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Abstract

A method for ordering electrofacies to assist in identification of mineral deposits is disclosed. Automated ordering of electrofacies allows geologists to draw inferences about the geological settings in which sediment deposit occurred without directly examining core samples or outcrops. The electrofacies order is determined by (a) training a one-dimensional linear self-organizing map to form an initial neural network that includes a plurality of neurons. The number of neurons is small in comparison to the number of electrofacies kernels (i.e., not greater than one-third the number of electrofacies kernels). (b1) A neuron is selected from the initial neural network. In the next step (b2), the processor determines if more than one electrofacies kernel is attached to the neuron. (b3) If more than one electrofacies kernel is attached to the neuron, then the neuron is split into the number of electrofacies kernels attached to the neuron. (c) Steps (b1)-(b3) are repeated until all neurons in the initial neural network have been processed. In the next step, (d) a self-organizing map is trained to form a final neural network using the split neurons in the initial neural network as initial state. (e) Steps (b1)-(d) are repeated if more than one electrofacies kernel is attached to a neuron with the initial neural network equal to the final neural network. In the last step (f), each electrofacies kernel corresponding to a neuron in the final neural network is correlated to an order number.

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