Deepwater Fold-and-thrust Imaging: A Case Study with Joint Inversion, Tomography, and Dense Velocity Analysis

PreviousNext No AccessSEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts 2016Deepwater fold-and-thrust imaging: A case study with joint inversion, tomography, and dense velocity analysisAuthors: Chung-Chi ShihLuca MasnaghettiMarco MantovaniLuciana LucaKate HayoTien-Huei WangZengbao ChenEva ReidScott LangdaleAugust LauChung-Chi ShihSchlumbergerSearch for more papers by this author, Luca MasnaghettiSchlumbergerSearch for more papers by this author, Marco MantovaniSchlumbergerSearch for more papers by this author, Luciana LucaSchlumbergerSearch for more papers by this author, Kate HayoSchlumbergerSearch for more papers by this author, Tien-Huei WangSchlumbergerSearch for more papers by this author, Zengbao ChenSchlumbergerSearch for more papers by this author, Eva ReidOMVSearch for more papers by this author, Scott LangdaleOMVSearch for more papers by this author, and August LauProject ConsultantSearch for more papers by this authorhttps://doi.org/10.1190/segam2016-13870991.1 SectionsAboutPDF/ePub ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Abstract It is a challenge to derive a detailed velocity model for seismic imaging in complex geological terranes. For salt-prone areas, there has been some good progress for short wavelength velocity, e.g., full-waveform inversion (FWI) (Sun et al., 2012), the seismic adaptive optics approach (Etgen et al., 2014), and surface warping by reverse time migration time-lag gathers (Hu et al., 2015), used to achieve small-scale detailed salt geometry. Deepwater fold-and-thrust imaging faces similar challenges to define local structures in the Gulf of Mexico. This case study shows further complexity in that the deep-water thrusts are made of both younger Neogene deposits and older Cretaceous sedimentary sequences compared to older rocks typical of US onshore, e.g., the Arkoma Basin thrust zones (Alrefaee et al., 2012). Hence, we cannot assume that velocity within a thrust sheet is approximately constant. Our approach was modified from successful onshore workflows, designing around a processing flow for an offshore-deep water fold-and-thrust area using 2D seismic data. The main velocity-modelling components of this workflow are joint inversion of seismic and gravity for long wavelengths, travel time tomography for intermediate wavelengths and dense normal moveout-based (NMO) velocity analysis for local short-wavelength structural anomalies. To reduce the time to perform a dense velocity analysis, geological interpretation-based velocity functions were derived first. These guiding functions were then used to constrain automatic and densely spaced velocity analysis. The overall results showed a better high-resolution velocity model and solved the shorter-wavelength structure distortions. Presentation Date: Tuesday, October 18, 2016 Start Time: 11:35:00 AM Location: Lobby D/C Presentation Type: POSTER Keywords: gravity, tomography, velocity, deepwater, depth migrationPermalink: https://doi.org/10.1190/segam2016-13870991.1FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts 2016ISSN (print):1052-3812 ISSN (online):1949-4645Copyright: 2016 Pages: 5654 publication data© 2016 Published in electronic format with permission by the Society of Exploration GeophysicistsPublisher:Society of Exploration Geophysicists HistoryPublished Online: 01 Sep 2016 CITATION INFORMATION Chung-Chi Shih, Luca Masnaghetti, Marco Mantovani, Luciana Luca, Kate Hayo, Tien-Huei Wang, Zengbao Chen, Eva Reid, Scott Langdale, and August Lau, (2016), "Deepwater fold-and-thrust imaging: A case study with joint inversion, tomography, and dense velocity analysis," SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts : 5390-5394. https://doi.org/10.1190/segam2016-13870991.1 Plain-Language Summary Keywordsgravitytomographyvelocitydeepwaterdepth migrationPDF DownloadLoading ...