Geological Interpretation of Seismic Data

INSTRUCTOR :

Bruce Hart, ConocoPhillips, Houston, TX

DATES:

February 11 - 12, 2013

LOCATION:

Norris Conference Center, City Centre, Houston, TX

TUITION:

Member: $1,000.00
(if purchased individually)
Registration for the entire week is $1,795 for members, $2,095 nonmembers. Goes up to $1995/$2295, and/or individual course prices increase by $50/course day after 1/14/2013. Course notes, refreshments and lunch buffet included.
No refunds for cancellations after 1/14/2013.

CONTENT:

1.5 CEU What is a CEU?

Who Should Attend

This course is most popular with geologists looking for an introductory level course on 3-D seismic technology. It is also appropriate for managers, engineers or others who will be making decisions that affect 3-D acquisition, or will be working with results that are based on 3-D seismic interpretations. Processing geophysicists and geophysical interpreters seeking to develop the geological side of their interpretation will also benefit.

Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Employ simple calculations to determine seismic resolution and detection limits (i.e., what should be visible seismically?)
• Recognize the critical role that seismic acquisition and processing parameters have on the interpretability of seismic data
• Identify appropriate seismic visualization technologies for structural and stratigraphic interpretations
• Explain why subsurface interpretations based on 2-D seismic and/or well control will always be wrong
• Recognize the key elements of a complete 3-D seismic interpretation, beginning with survey design and integrating geological and engineering data and concepts
• List several geophysical techniques (amplitude variation with offset, attributes, spectral decomposition, etc.) that are useful for qualitative and quantitative physical property prediction (including fluid prediction) and describe how these techniques can be used to make better geological interpretations of seismic datasets

Content

This course introduces participants to basic concepts of 3-D seismic interpretation in a non-mathematical way. The course draws largely on material prepared by the instructor for his AAPG e-textbook on seismic interpretation, which itself draws on 3-D seismic interpretation courses that he has offered since 1995.

The course begins with a short discussion of the 3-D seismic revolution and characteristics of a modern seismic interpreter. The second chapter introduces participants to the physical basis of the seismic reflection: different types of seismic waves and how they propagate, why reflections are generated, and limits on seismic resolution. Chapter 3 discusses key aspects of 3-D seismic survey acquisition and processing, and illustrates how these factors affect data interpretability. The next chapter focuses on the 3-D seismic cube and illustrates various ways for visualizing the data. Chapter 5 walks participants through a complete 3-D seismic interpretation workflow, including elements such as making well ties, structural and stratigraphic interpretations, and selected advanced geophysical techniques for physical property prediction. Selected case studies, presented in the final chapter, illustrate how 3-D seismic methods were integrated with other datasets to solve real-world petroleum industry problems.