Seismic Imaging: Post-Stack

John C. Bancroft

…Seismic imaging is a general term that geophysicists now use to describe processes that convert seismic data into a geological “representation” of the subsurface. These “representations” may vary from simple structural images that use migration algorithms, to ones that estimate rock properties with algorithms that are based on inversion theory.…

Seismic Attributes in Your Facies

Arthur E. Barnes

…Introduction Imagine having a “seismic search engine”. Built into your seismic data viewer, it would rapidly locate features in your seismic data, like search engines help you locate information on the worldwide web. It could work like this. You are looking at a large 3-D seismic survey for the first…

Seismic Attributes

M. Turhan Taner

…Abstract Since their introduction in the early 1970’s, Complex Seismic Trace Attributes have gained considerable popularity, first as a convenient display form, and later, as they were incorporated with other seismically-derived measurements, they became a valid analytical tool for lithology prediction and reservoir characterization. In recent decades, over 600 papers…

Multicomponent Seismic Exploration in Canada – One Person’s Perspective

Peter Cary

…Let me set something straight from the beginning. This is not going to be one of those review articles where the author gushes with excitement about his subject like some sort of cheerleader. I will try to be more rational than that. This is not because I have nothing good…

Monitoring Production Processes by 4-D Multicomponent Seismic Surveys

Thomas L. Davis

…Summary Multicomponent, time lapse seismology has great potential for monitoring production processes in reservoirs. The reason is simply the presence of fractures. Shear waves are much more sensitive than P waves to the presence of fractures or microfractures and the fluid content within the fracture network. Fractures introduce seismic anisotropy…

Developments, Trends and Future Directions in Vertical Seismic Profiling and Crosswell Seismic Profiling

Bob A. Hardage

…Historical Review Fessenden’s patent of 1917 appears to be the first documented seismic application involving buried sources and geophones. One illustration from this patent is shown in Figure 1. In this diagram, item 49 is a borehole acoustic energy source, and items 15 and 18 are borehole acoustic receivers. Dashed…

VSP: An In-Depth Seismic Understanding

Robert R. Stewart

…Summary Vertical seismic profiling has been a useful measurement to obtain rock properties (velocity, impedance, attenuation, anisotropy) in depth as well as to provide a seismic image of the subsurface. The VSP can also give insight into seismic wave propagation and provide processing and interpretive assistance in the analysis of…

VSP for the Interpreter/Processor for 2001 and Beyond: Part 1

Ronald C. Hinds and Richard D. Kuzmiski

…Abstract The use of the Vertical Seismic Profile (VSP) has expanded during the past 20 years into an economical and viable exploration and exploitation tool. Having started as an extension to the Check Shot survey, an interpreted VSP dataset is seen as a high-resolution subsurface image that is the intimate…

The CSEG Ratifies a Master License Agreement for Seismic Data

G. Fairs, J. Boyd, P. Einarsson, L. Hunt, B. Korchinski, L. Ramescu, C.Walls, B. Lawrence

…Summary The use of seismic data in the exploration and development of oil and gas reserves has never been more important or widespread as it is now. The acquisition of seismic data is expensive and time consuming. It is being conducted with an ever increasing attention and care for its…

Executive Message

…I am writing this executive comment as August is up on us – Hot and Dry like a good summer should be. September is very far away and thoughts of upcoming CSEG executive meetings are still well in the background, like other items on my to do list that I…

Grapevine

…Arcis Operating ARAM-Aries Equipment The Arcis Corporation is pleased to announce the acquisition of an ARAM Aries Seismic Recording System. Complementing the existing 6400 channels are 2800+ lightweight Aries Channels and lightweight Aries 2D and 3D Cables. With the Aries equipment, Arcis is now operating the lightest seismic acquisition equipment…

Tracing the Industry

…Conoco Canada has appointed Abhi Manerikar as Exploration Manager, Canadian Frontiers. In his new job, Abhi is responsible for identifying new exploration opportunities in the Frontiers of Canada (East Coast, West Coast and Northern Canada) as well as Alaska and for bringing forward opportunities for significant reserves additions in these…

3D Seismic Surveys – Past, Present and Future

Mike Galbraith

…Overviews are often useful and this paper is written for the geophysicist who has not been deeply involved with the design and analysis of 3D seismic survey acquisition for the past 15 years or so, and would like to have an idea of what happened, what’s happening now and what…

Seismic Data Acquisition Developments in the Last Decade and in the Next – A Biased View

Gijs Vermeer

…Introduction Almost simultaneously with the invitation to contribute to this special issue of the Recorder, the January-February 2001 issue of Geophysics happened to arrive. The latter contains a special section: “Geophysics in the new millennium”, put together under the direction of Larry Lines (2001), whose name also featured under the…

AVO Analysis

John P. Castagna

…Introduction The great promise of pre-stack amplitude-versus-offset analysis (AVO) of reflected compressional waves lies in the dependence of the reflectivity with increasing offset on the elastic property contrasts at the reflecting interface. As different lithologies may exhibit distinct Poisson’s ratios, and gas-bearing strata usually exhibit anomalously low Poisson’s ratios, AVO…

AVO: Yesterday, today, and (a peek at) tomorrow

Mike Graul

…Introduction Amplitude variations with offset (AVO) have been used for over a quarter of a century in the hunt for gas and oil. The first public disclosure of the technique was made by Bill Ostrander, at the 1982 SEG convention in Dallas. At the time, Bill was reporting on a…

AVO and Lamé Constants for Rock Parameterization and Fluid Detection

Bill Goodway

…Introduction For more than 3 decades, industry has known that shear seismic waves (S-waves) contain different rock information than do our standard compressional seismic waves (P-waves). Periodically, efforts to record S-waves, even on the seabed, have attracted industry attention with increasing success. Separate efforts to analyse conventional P-waves for the…

AVO Feasibility and Reliability Analysis in the Presence of Random Noise

Jon Downton and Larry Lines

…Abstract AVO inversion provides a cost effective means for predicting elastic parameters and rock properties of the earth. However, the results of AVO inversion are sensitive to noise. For some acquisition, geometries and noise levels predictions from the AVO inversion may not be reliable. By studying the influence of random…

AVO and the General Inverse Theory

Guillaume Cambois

…Introduction The 1980s saw the development of two new technologies: AVO and general inverse theory. In those days, general inverse theory was applied to full waveform inversion, compared to which AVO is a very simple problem. Almost two decades later we observe that the interest for full waveform inversion has…

Prestack Waveform Inversion Using a Genetic Algorithm – The Present and the Future

Subhashis Mallick

…Abstract Use of prestack data for quantitative analysis of hydrocarbon reservoirs has gained popularity over the past decades. Most of these quantitative studies rely on the seismic reflection amplitude variation with offset or AVO analysis. AVO makes a simple assumption that every reflection event on the prestack seismic data is…