REU

Pittsburgh,PA

9/24/2103

UnderstandingSeismicData
Resolution(VerticalandHorizontal)
Twowaytime(TWT)
TimetoDepthconversion
InterpretationofReflectors
Creatingaconsistentinterpretation

WestVirginiaUniversity

Rarefaction

Abletoresolveboundariesofbedsafewmetersthick
1 meter

Compression

A = Amplitude

= Wavelength
length, ft or m

P = Period
time

IncreaseinImpedance

Period = Time for the waveform

to travel 1 wavelength

DecreaseinImpedance

Dp = Pulse
Duration
time

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Predominantly

Shale

Predominantly

Sand

Predominantly

Shale

10 m
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TimCarr

REU
Pittsburgh,PA

9/24/2103

Lamina
Lamina Sets
Beds
Bed Sets
Parasequences
Parasequence Sets
Sequences
Sequence Sets

Therearemanyreflectorson
aseismicsection.Major
changesinproperties
usuallyproducestrong,
continuousreflectorsas
shownbythearrow.

Aseismicreflectorisaboundary
betweenbedswithdifferent
properties.Theremaybeachange
oflithologyorfluidfillfromBed1to
Bed2.Thesepropertychanges
causesomesoundwavestobe
reflectedtowardsthesurface.

Althoughseismicdatacan
notimagesmallscalestratal
units,itcanimagemid to
largescaleunits
Thebigadvantageof
seismicdataisareal
coverage

energy
source

signal
receiver

Bed 1
lower velocity
higher velocity

Bed 2

ExxonMobil

Shale

Velocity = 2000 m/s

Density = 1.7 gm/cc

Shale

Velocity = 2000 m/s

Density = 1.7 gm/cc
I = 2000 * 1.7 = 3400

Sand

Velocity = 2400 m/s

Density = 1.8 gm/cc

Sand

Velocity = 2400 m/s

Density = 1.8 gm/cc
I = 2400 * 1.8 = 4320

I below I above
Reflection
=
Coefficient
I below + I above

I below I above
Reflection
=
Coefficient
I below + I above

4320 - 3400
4300 + 3400

0.119

Of the incident energy, 12% is reflected, 88% is transmitted

ExxonMobil

10

Shale

Velocity = 2000 m/s

Density = 1.7 gm/cc

Shale

Velocity = 2000 m/s

Density = 1.7 gm/cc
I = 2000 * 1.7 = 3400

Carbonate

Velocity = 2600 m/s

Density = 2.1 gm/cc

Carbonate

Velocity = 2600 m/s

Density = 2.1 gm/cc
I = 2600 * 2.1 = 5460

I below I above
Reflection
=
Coefficient
I below + I above

I below I above
Reflection
=
Coefficient
I below + I above

5460 - 3400
5460 + 3400

0.232

Of the incident energy, 23% is reflected, 77% is transmitted

11

TimCarr

12

REU
Pittsburgh,PA

9/24/2103

Twowaytime(TWT)
indicatesthetime
requiredfortheseismic
wavetotravelfroma
sourcetosomepoint
belowthesurfaceand
backuptoareceiver.

Twowaytime(TWT)doesnotequatedirectlytodepth
Depthofaspecificreflectorcanbedeterminedusing
wells

TWT
surface

0.25seconds

0.25seconds

0.5
seconds

InthisexampletheTWT
is0.5seconds.

288

0.58sec

926

926m

1865

13

Checkshotsmeasure
theverticaloneway
timefromsurfaceto
variousdepthswithin
thewell

14

Seismic Shot

Depth

Interval
velocity

Usedtocalibratewell
depthsandtimesfroma
soniclog

Borehole
Geophone

Integrated
Soniclog
15

ExxonMobil

Calculated

Logdata
Lithology

Velocity Density

Impedance

Reflection
Wavelet
Coefficients

Synthetic

Sand
Shale

Synthetic Trace

Comparewelldatato
seismicdata

Shale

Sand

Relatehorizontopsina
wellwithspecific
reflections

Shale

Use the sonic and density logs to compute an impedance log

Calculate the reflection coefficients
Convolve our pulse with the RC series to get individual wavelets
Each wavelets amplitude is proportional to the RC
Sum the individual wavelets to get the synthetic seismic trace
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TimCarr

17

ExxonMobil

18

REU
Pittsburgh,PA

9/24/2103

ReflectorCharacterandGeometry

Continuous
reflector
truncating
short ones
Next
continuous
reflector
Reflectors
onlapping
continuous
one

Positivepolarity determined
frommatchingsyntheticto
seismictracearoundborehole
Shiftthesyntheticuptomatch
thewellformationtops
tomatchtheseismic

20

QS 6

3855000

QS 4
QS 8

QS 10

QS 9

QS 13

QS 507 a
QS 29 NE

QS 137
QS 606A

QS 5
QS 133
QS 905

3845000

QS 3

QS 507 a

well CH-9
QS 606B
QS 12

QS 4

QS 507

QS 606A

3835000

QS 137

QS 6

QS 13

X 455

QS 29 NE

QS 9
QR 5

QS 133

QS 606B
QS 9

QS 8

X 45
X 41

QS 507
QS 905

X 244
QS 10
X 24
QS 5

3825000

X 495

QS 12

X 475B
X 455

well QR-1

X 1B

QS 3

X 24

X 41

3815000

X 244

Legend
seismic line
X 45

Deep well
X 1B

3805000

10 km

X 475B
X 495

500000

510000

520000

530000

540000

Base map of a 2D Seismic Survey

TimCarr

23

Isochronmapofreflector1

24

REU
Pittsburgh,PA

9/24/2103

Averagevelocitymapofreflector1

Depthmapofreflector1

25

26

Mitchum et al., 1977

Usingallavailabledata(wells,seismic,outcrop,regionalstudies,
gravity,magnetics,etc.)buildaframeworkofpresentday
structureandstratigraphy

StructuralInterpretation
Faults&Folds
Subsidence&Uplift
StructuralTrends

AAPG1977 reprinted with permission of the AAPG

whose permission is required for further use.

StructuralFeatures

Determinethelocalgeologyfromthesubsurfaceimages

StratigraphicInterpretation

Mapfaultsandotherstructuralfeatures

Unconformities

Mapunconformitiesandothermajorstratalsurfaces
Interpretdepositionalenvironments
Inferlithofaciesfromreflectionpatterns&velocities

StratalPackages
Environments/Facies/Lithologies
Ages

Predictagesofstratalunits
ExamineelementsoftheHCsystems

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27

Interpretation

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28

Interpretation

SeismicImageofAncientReefinAlberta
[400millionyearsold]

Relatefeaturesseeninseismictostratigraphicorstructuralprocesses
29

TimCarr

Usescomputertechnologytointerpretseismicdata

30

REU
Pittsburgh,PA

9/24/2103

Fancierstuff:Anttrackingofsaltdomesfor
fracturedetection

VarianceAttribute Tracetotrace
variabilityin3Dseismicblock

Salt domes pierce strata

and creating favorable
trapping geometry in the
Ekofisk Fm.
4Km

8km

Patchawarra Surfaceat1.752sec

Interpretation
SeismicReflectors
DifferenceinImpedanceofUnits
ImpedanceFunctionofDensityandVelocity
ResolutionLimitedto10sofmeters
ArealCoverage
Seismicversus Depth
WelltoSeismicTies
VelocityModel
ConvertTWTtoDepth
SeismicInterpretationProvidesEarthImage
StructureandStratigraphy
Useshightechvisualizationtointerpretseismicdata

TimCarr

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