Mitigating the effects of sand dunes on seismic data from the Rub al Khali basin, Saudi Arabia

Abstract This research compares the results of each method to solve problems caused by sand dunes, In the southwestern region of Libya, the Murzuq basin is covered with sand dunes, which are a significant source of noise in land seismic data, which caused issues in seismic processing, also sand dunes cause increases of travel time of reflected events in seismic data, procuring false structures this problem caused by residual static errors. The presence of extensive sand dunes causes logistic and technical difficulties for seismic reflection prospecting, Due to the steep angle of repose of the sand dunes faces and the low seismic velocity within them, which causes significant time delay to the reflected waves. In this research, three seismic lines (202, 207, 209), of total length 12 km, have been completely reprocessed at Western Geco processing center (Tripoli) using omega software. the methods of gain corrections: time function gain and geometric spreading. Spreading amplitude compensation, has been proceed the results will be compared to another method of gain corrections called residual amplitude analysis compensation (RAAC) which is has better results for static problems the conventional method of computing field statics has been implemented and the result is compared with elevation static. It is obtained by using uphole method (conventional method) yielded a significant improvement over the elevation method.

Download Full-text

Mapping the Internal Structure of Sand Dunes in the Jafurah Desert of Eastern Saudi Arabia Using Ground Penetrating Radar

10.3997/2214-4609-pdb.248.117 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

Ademola A. Adetunji ◽

Abdullatif A. Al-Shuhail ◽

Gabor Korvin

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Internal Structure ◽

Ground Penetrating Radar ◽

Sand Dunes ◽

Ground Penetrating

Download Full-text

Mapping the internal structure of sand dunes with GPR: A case history from the Jafurah sand sea of eastern Saudi Arabia

The Leading Edge ◽

10.1190/1.3011016 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 27 (11) ◽

pp. 1446-1452 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Ademola Q. Adetunji ◽

Abdullatif Al-Shuhail ◽

Gabor Korvin

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Internal Structure ◽

Case History ◽

Sand Dunes

Download Full-text

Integrated Geological, Hydrogeological, and Geophysical Investigations of a Barchan Sand Dune in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia

Water ◽

10.3390/w12030682 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 682

Author(s):

Mohammed Benaafi ◽

Sherif M. Hanafy ◽

Abdullatif Al-Shuhail ◽

Ammar El-Husseiny ◽

Jack Dvorkin

Keyword(s):

Grain Size ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Water Content ◽

Sand Dune ◽

Sand Dunes ◽

Homogeneous Medium ◽

Eastern Region ◽

Large Area ◽

Electrical Resistivity Survey ◽

Dune Crest

In arid countries such as Saudi Arabia, aeolian sand often covers a large area of the country. Understanding the variations of sand properties in dunes, including grain size, sorting, mineral composition and water content, can be important for groundwater recharge, environmental, and construction applications. Earlier studies examined properties of sand dunes by collecting samples from the surface. This study aims to investigate variations of sand properties within a Barchan sand dune in the coastal area of Saudi Arabia, by collecting samples and measurements from two vertically drilled boreholes up to the ground water level; one drilled in the dune crest and another one in the limb. Representative samples were collected and analyzed for their texture parameters, water content, and mineralogy. Electrical resistivity survey data was also acquired to map water content variation in the dune limb, and for comparison with well bore data. The reported results show no vertical variations in grain size or sorting in the dune crest. In contrast, the upper 0.5 m of the dune limb shows a relatively poorer sorting than found in deeper parts of the dune. Laterally, no variations in minerology were observed between crest and limb sands while grain size tended to be slightly coarser in the dune limb compared to the crest. Regarding the water content, it was found to vary vertically, probably due to previous cycles of rainfall infiltration through the sand body. Such observed variation in water content is consistent with the measured resistivity profile which could clearly identify the water table and areas with higher water content. This study concludes that beyond the upper 0.5 m, the Barchan sand dune body can be treated as a homogeneous medium in terms of mineralogy and sorting while grain size increases slightly toward the limb side.

Download Full-text

Mineralogy, geochemistry and possible provenance of desert sand dunes from western Rub' al Khali area, southeastern Saudi Arabia

International Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences ◽

10.14419/ijbas.v2i4.1292 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Asaad M.B. Moufti

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Sand Dunes ◽

Desert Sand

Download Full-text

Fracture characterization of deep tight gas sands using azimuthal velocity and AVO seismic data in Saudi Arabia

The Leading Edge ◽

10.1190/1.1579581 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 22 (5) ◽

pp. 469-475 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Fernando A. Neves ◽

Ahmed Al-Marzoug ◽

Jung J. Kim ◽

Ed L. Nebrija

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Seismic Data ◽

Azimuthal Velocity ◽

Tight Gas ◽

Fracture Characterization ◽

Tight Gas Sands

Download Full-text

Fracture detection via correlating P-wave amplitude variation with offset and azimuth analysis and well data in eastern central Saudi Arabia

Interpretation ◽

10.1190/int-2016-0128.1 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. T531-T544

Author(s):

Ali H. Al-Gawas ◽

Abdullatif A. Al-Shuhail

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Seismic Data ◽

Production Data ◽

Fracture Zones ◽

Fracture Detection ◽

Amplitude Variation ◽

Data Set ◽

Amplitude Variation With Offset ◽

Well Data ◽

Patch Geometry

The late Carboniferous clastic Unayzah-C in eastern central Saudi Arabia is a low-porosity, possibly fractured reservoir. Mapping the Unayzah-C is a challenge due to the low signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and limited bandwidth in the conventional 3D seismic data. A related challenge is delineating and characterizing fracture zones within the Unayzah-C. Full-azimuth 3D broadband seismic data were acquired using point receivers, low-frequency sweeps down to 2 Hz, and 6 km patch geometry. The data indicate significant enhancement in continuity and resolution of the reflection data, leading to improved mapping of the Unayzah-C. Because the data set has a rectangular patch geometry with full inline offsets to 6000 m, using amplitude variation with offset and azimuth (AVOA) may be effective to delineate and characterize fracture zones within Unayzah-A and Unayzah-C. The study was undertaken to determine the improvement of wide-azimuth seismic data in fracture detection in clastic reservoirs. The results were validated with available well data including borehole images, well tests, and production data in the Unayzah-A. There are no production data or borehole images within the Unayzah-C. For validation, we had to refer to a comparison of alternative seismic fracture detection methods, mainly curvature and coherence. Anisotropy was found to be weak, which may be due to noise, clastic lithology, and heterogeneity of the reservoirs, in both reservoirs except for along the western steep flank of the study area. These may correspond to some north–south-trending faults suggested by circulation loss and borehole image data in a few wells. The orientation of the long axis of the anisotropy ellipses is northwest–southeast, and it is not in agreement with the north–south structural trend. No correlation was found among the curvature, coherence, and AVOA in Unayzah-A or Unayzah-C. Some possible explanations for the low correlation between the AVOA ellipticity and the natural fractures are a noisy data set, overburden anisotropy, heterogeneity, granulation seams, and deformation.

Download Full-text

Five buried crater structures imaged on reflection seismic data in Saudi Arabia

GeoArabia ◽

10.2113/geoarabia190117 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 17-44

Author(s):

Allen S. Neville ◽

Douglas J. Cook ◽

Abdulkader M. Afifi ◽

Simon A. Stewart

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Seismic Data ◽

Surface Expression ◽

Hydrocarbon Exploration ◽

Magnetic Data ◽

Recent Sediment ◽

Upper Ordovician ◽

Middle Ordovician ◽

Reflection Seismic ◽

Future Work

ABSTRACT Reflection seismic data acquired for hydrocarbon exploration in Saudi Arabia have revealed five buried crater structures ranging in diameter from 5 km to 34 km. These structures have little or no present-day surface expression and span a range of ages from Ordovician to Cenozoic. The Saqqar structure (29°35′N, 38°42″E) is 34 km in diameter and is formed in Devonian siliciclastics. The structure is partially eroded and is unconformably overlain by Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene strata up to 400 m thick. The Jalamid structure (31°27′N, 39°35″E) is 19 km in diameter at Lower Ordovician level and is infilled by Middle Ordovician sediments, at a present-day depth of 4,500 m. The Banat Baqar structure (29°07′N, 37°36″E) is 12 km in diameter at Middle Ordovician level and infilled by Upper Ordovician sediments, at a depth of 2,000 m. The Hamidan structure (20°36′N, 54°44″E) is 16 km in diameter at Paleogene level and is overlain by a thin veneer of Recent sediment. The Zaynan structure (20°23′N, 50°08″E) is 5 km in diameter and affects Triassic sediments at depth of 3,800 m, and is infilled by Jurassic strata. In addition to reflection seismic imaging, various amounts of gravity and magnetic data and drilled wells are available in or near these structures. Various models including impact cratering are discussed here for each structure. One structure (Saqqar) has yielded quartz grains with possible shock metamorphic features that, contingent on future work, may support a meteorite impact crater interpretation.

Download Full-text