Abstract: Comparison of Conventional (100%), Two-Dimensional (2D), and Three-Dimensional (3D) Seismic Data: Case Histories from the Midcontinent

Francis X. Schloeder III

The principal objective of seismic exploration is to determine three geologic parameters, the structural top, the bottom, and the lateral extent of an oil and gas reservoir. Conventional (100%) data is very efficient in locating the structural top and bottom of reservoirs. Two-dimensional (2D) common depth point (CDP) seismic data provides an immense improvement in seismic data quality over conventional (100%) data. This improvement enables the explorer to better visualize and map the reservoir in each direction of the seismic line. Three-dimensional (3D) seismic technology provides even more mappable data and capability. The explorer may visualize every imaginable direction and subtlety of a reservoir. This talk compares conventional (100%), two-dimensional (2D), and thr e-dimensional (3D) seismic data from the Midcontinent. Case histories of the Douglas (Upper Pennsylvanian) in Texas, the Morrow (Lower Pennsylvanian) in Colorado, the "Chat" (Mississippian) and the Hunton (Silurian-Devonian) in Oklahoma, and the Simpson (Ordovician) in Kansas will be discussed. Major and independent operators can maximize their exploration efforts by integrating existing data with three-dimensional (3D) technology and a solid geologic interpretation.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90957©1995 AAPG Mid-Continent Section Meeting, Tulsa, Oklahoma