The interest in seismic stratigraphic techniques to interpret datasets is expanding continuously. The advent of sophisticated subsurface reservoir studies and 4D monitoring, for optimising the hydrocarbon production in existing fields, do demonstrate the importance of the 3D seismic methodology. The added value of rection seismics has clearly been proven in the last decades and it was especially beneficial on the petroleum development side. Seismic reflection profiles form a vast and solid data source of information on the structure of the subsurface. The seismic dataset gets nowadays explored in ever greater detail. These kind of investigations provide for instance a vital tool for delineation of subtle hydrocarbon traps and are essential in regional basin analysis.
The big advantage of seismic stratigraphy in basin studies lies in the fact that the methodology combines two very different scales of observation: the seismic and well-control approach. This explains why many workers are using seismic stratigraphic principles to evaluate their seismic observations.
"Seismic Stratigraphy Basin Analysis and Reservoir Characterisation" summarizes basic seismic interpretation techniques and demonstrates the benefits of integrated reservoir studies for hydrocarbon exploration. Topics are presented from a practical point of view and supported by well-illustrated case histories. Modern geophysical techniques allow more accurate prediction of the subsurface geology. The dynamics of sedimentary environments are discussed with global controlling factors, and a link is made to high-resolution sequence stratigraphy. This work discusses the link between seismic stratigraphic principles and sequence stratigraphy. It provides techniques for seismic reservoir characterization, as well as well control. It also analyzes inversion, AVO and seismic attributes.
1. Introduction. 2. The seismic reflection method and its constraints. 3. Seismic stratigraphic techniques. 4. Dynamics of Basinwide Sedimentation Patterns and Sea level Changes. 5. Hydrocarbon habitat. 6. Seismic Reservoir characterisation. 7. Volumetrics and Prospect Evaluation. 8. Concluding remarks.