Physiography of the NE margin of the Permian Salt Basin: new insights from 3D seismic reflection data

Because the confinement of [Formula: see text] in a storage reservoir depends on a stratigraphically continuous set of seals to isolate the fluid in the reservoir, the detection of structural anomalies is critical for guiding any assessment of a potential subsurface carbon storage site. Employing a suite of 3D seismic attribute analyses (as opposed to relying upon a single attribute) maximizes the chances of identifying geologic anomalies or discontinuities (e.g., faults) that may affect the integrity of a seal that will confine the stored [Formula: see text] in the reservoir. The Illinois Basin, a major area for potential carbon storage, presents challenges for target assessment because geologic anomalies can be ambiguous and easily misinterpreted when using 2D seismic reflection data, or even 3D data, if only conventional display techniques are used. We procured a small 3D seismic reflection data set in the central part of the basin (Stewardson oil field) to experiment with different strategies for enhancing the appearance of discontinuities by integrating 3D seismic attribute analyses with conventional visualizations. Focusing on zones above and below the target interval of the Cambrian Mt. Simon Sandstone, we computed attribute traveltime slices (combined with vertical views) based on discontinuity computations, crossline-directed amplitude change, azimuth of the dip, shaded relief, and fault likelihood attributes. The results provided instructive examples of how discontinuities (e.g., subseismic scale faults) may be almost “invisible” on conventional displays but become detectable and mappable using an appropriate integration of 3D attributes. Strong discontinuities in underlying Precambrian basement rocks do not necessarily propagate upward into the target carbon storage interval. The origin of these discontinuities is uncertain, but we explored a possible strike-slip role that also explains the localization of a structural embayment developed in Lower Paleozoic strata above the basement discontinuities.

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Volcanic features of the North Rockall Trough: application of visualisation techniques on 3D seismic reflection data

Bulletin of Volcanology ◽

10.1007/s00445-004-0363-9 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 67 (2) ◽

pp. 116-128 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Ken Thomson

Keyword(s):

Seismic Reflection ◽

3D Seismic ◽

Seismic Reflection Data ◽

The North ◽

Reflection Data ◽

Rockall Trough ◽

North Rockall Trough

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Neoarchaean tectonic history of the Witwatersrand Basin and Ventersdorp Supergroup: New constraints from high-resolution 3D seismic reflection data

Tectonophysics ◽

10.1016/j.tecto.2013.01.014 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 590 ◽

pp. 94-105 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Musa S.D. Manzi ◽

Kim A.A. Hein ◽

Nick King ◽

Raymond J. Durrheim

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Seismic Reflection ◽

3D Seismic ◽

Seismic Reflection Data ◽

Witwatersrand Basin ◽

Reflection Data ◽

Tectonic History ◽

History Of

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Shallow 3D seismic-reflection imaging of fracture zones in crystalline rock

Geophysics ◽

10.1190/1.2787336 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 72 (6) ◽

pp. B149-B160 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Cedric Schmelzbach ◽

Heinrich Horstmeyer ◽

Christopher Juhlin

Keyword(s):

Seismic Reflection ◽

Crystalline Rock ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Disposal Site ◽

3D Seismic ◽

Fracture Zones ◽

Data Set ◽

Seismic Reflection Data ◽

Reflection Data ◽

Receiver Array

A limited 3D seismic-reflection data set was used to map fracture zones in crystalline rock for a nuclear waste disposal site study. Seismic-reflection data simultaneously recorded along two roughly perpendicular profiles (1850 and [Formula: see text] long) and with a [Formula: see text] receiver array centered at the intersection of the lines sampled a [Formula: see text] area in three dimensions. High levels of source-generated noise required a processing sequence involving surface-consistent deconvolution, which effectively increased the strength of reflected signals, and a linear [Formula: see text] filtering scheme to suppress any remaining direct [Formula: see text]-wave energy. A flexible-binning scheme significantly balanced and increased the CMP fold, but the offset and azimuth distributions remain irregular; a wide azimuth range and offsets [Formula: see text] are concentrated in the center of the survey area although long offsets [Formula: see text] are only found at the edges of the site. Three-dimensional dip moveout and 3D poststack migration were necessary to image events with conflicting dips up to about 40°. Despite the irregular acquisition geometry and the high level of source-generated noise, we obtained images rich in structural detail. Seven continuous to semicontinuous reflection events were traced through the final data volume to a maximum depth of around [Formula: see text]. Previous 2D seismic-reflection studies and borehole data indicate that fracture zones are the most likely cause of the reflections.

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Application of 3D seismic techniques to evaluate ore resources in the West Wits Line goldfield and portions of the West Rand goldfield, South Africa

Geophysics ◽

10.1190/geo2012-0133.1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 77 (5) ◽

pp. WC163-WC171 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Musa S. D. Manzi ◽

Mark A. S. Gibson ◽

Kim A. A. Hein ◽

Nick King ◽

Raymond J. Durrheim

Keyword(s):

Seismic Reflection ◽

Signal To Noise Ratio ◽

Mine Planning ◽

3D Seismic ◽

Borehole Data ◽

The West ◽

Seismic Reflection Data ◽

Witwatersrand Basin ◽

Reflection Data ◽

Time Migration

As expensive as 3D seismic reflection surveys are, their high cost is justified by improved imaging of certain ore horizons in some of the Witwatersrand basin gold mines. The merged historical 3D seismic reflection data acquired for Kloof and South Deep mines forms an integral part of their Ventersdorp Contact Reef mine planning and development programme. The recent advances in 3D seismic technology have motivated the reprocessing and reinterpretation of the old data sets using the latest algorithms, therefore significantly increasing the signal-to-noise ratio of the data. In particular, the prestack time migration technique has provided better stratigraphic and structural imaging in complex faulted areas, such as the Witwatersrand basin, relative to older poststack migration methods. Interpretation tools such as seismic attributes have been used to identify a number of subtle geologic structures that have direct impact on ore resource evaluation. Other improvements include more accurate mapping of the depths, dip, and strike of the key seismic horizons and auriferous reefs, yielding a better understanding of the interrelationship between fault activity and reef distribution, and the relative chronology of tectonic events. The 3D seismic data, when integrated with underground mapping and borehole data, provide better imaging and modeling of critical major fault systems and zones of reef loss. Many faults resolve as multifault segments that bound unmined blocks leading to the discovery and delineation of resources in faulted areas of the mines.

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Interpretation of 3D Seismic Reflection Data to Reveal Stratigraphic Setting of the Reservoir of Mishrif Formation in Dujaila Oil Field, Southeast of Iraq

Iraqi Journal of Science ◽

10.24996/ijs.2021.62.7.14 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 2250-2261

Author(s):

Ahmed Muslim Khawaja ◽

Jassim Muhammad Thabit

Keyword(s):

Seismic Reflection ◽

Seismic Analysis ◽

Carbonate Platform ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Oil Field ◽

3D Seismic ◽

Seismic Reflection Data ◽

Reflection Data ◽

Carbonate Buildups ◽

Depositional Models

This research is an attempt to solve the ambiguity associated with the stratigraphic setting of the main reservoir (late Cretaceous) of Mishrif Formation in Dujaila oil field. This was achieved by studying a 3D seismic reflection post-stack data for an area of 602.62 Km2 in Maysan Governorate, southeast of Iraq. Seismic analysis of the true amplitude reflections, time maps, and 3D depositional models showed a sufficient seismic evidence that the Mishrif Formation produces oil from a stratigraphic trap of isolated reef carbonate buildups that were grown on the shelf edge of the carbonate platform, located in the area around the productive well Dujaila-1. The low-frequency attribute illustrated that it is restricted in the area around the productive well Dujaila-1, which confirmed the existence of reef porous carbonate buildups and hydrocarbon accumulation in this region. The pay zone of the reef mound trap extends for about 7 km from the well Dujaila-1 toward the southwest side and 4 km toward the well Dujaila-2, without reaching it, which is explaining why it was dry. Therefore, this area to the south of the productive well Dujaila-1 represents a good area for low-risk drilling. Consequently, the hydrocarbon system observed in the Dujaila oil field provides a new opportunity to explore and produce oil in Mishrif Formation in other areas on the flank of the productive structures and in flat areas situated on the belt of the carbonate platform edge.

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Hectometer-scale, shallow buried honeycomb-like structures on the continental shelf of the Otway Basin, southeastern Australia

Interpretation ◽

10.1190/int-2020-0039.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. SR65-SR81 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yakufu Niyazi ◽

Mark Warne ◽

Daniel Ierodiaconou

Keyword(s):

Seismic Reflection ◽

Geospatial Analysis ◽

Data Sets ◽

Soft Sediment ◽

3D Seismic ◽

Burial Diagenesis ◽

Seismic Reflection Data ◽

Reflection Data ◽

Southeastern Australia ◽

2D And 3D

The Plio-Pleistocene Whalers Bluff Formation (WBF) of the offshore Otway Basin is composed of mixed siliciclastic-carbonate sediments. In seismic cross sections, this formation includes an interval that consists of higher amplitude seismic reflections that display alternating depressional ponds and raised ridges. This interval is shallowly buried and lies between 40 and 150 ms two-way traveltime below the present-day seafloor. In this study, we have used 2D and 3D seismic data sets in combination with the available shallow subsurface well logs to characterize the geomorphology and investigate the origin of these enigmatic features. The ponds are expressed as densely packed, circular to polygonal, and in some cases, hexagonal-shaped features in time-slice maps, and they closely resemble previously documented honeycomb structures. In our study area, the honeycomb-like structures (HS) are comprised of large (200–800 m diameter range) depressed ponds that are separated by narrow (approximately 20 m at the top) reticulate ridges. In total, these HS cover an area of 760 km2. Geospatial analysis shows that the ponds of HS, especially those in the northeast of the study area, are aligned along the northwest–southeast trend lines. There are several possible origins for the HS. The most probable mechanism is that the HS resulted from the bulk contraction of soft sediment, associated with shallow-burial diagenesis processes such as subaqueous dewatering of the fine-grained successions within the WBF. Interestingly, irregular furrows of various lengths on the seafloor correspond to the ridges of the HS, and we hypothesize that these furrows may have formed due to differential compaction of the underlying alternating ponds and ridges. Our results demonstrate the benefits of using seismic reflection data sets in combination with geospatial analysis to investigate the buried paleogeomorphologic features and their impact on the present-day seafloor physiography. Geological feature: Honeycomb-like, soft sediment deformation associated with shallow-burial diagenesis, Otway Basin, southeastern Australia Cross-section appearance: Alternating depressional ponds and raised ridges Map view appearance: Densely packed, oval to polygonal-shaped features Features with a similar appearance: Acquisition footprints, carbonate mounds/dissolution features, polygonal faults, pockmarks, opal-A to opal-CT transition Formation: Whalers Bluff Formation, offshore Otway Basin Age: Pliocene to recent Location: Continental shelf of the Otway Basin, southeastern Australia Data sets: 2D and 3D seismic reflection data, borehole data, from Geological Survey of Victoria, Australia Analysis tools: Interpretation and visualization (Petrel 2019 and DUG Insight, v.4.7, 2020), Geospatial analysis (ESRI‘s ArcMap 10.5)

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