Blumentritt, Charles H.¹, Kurt J. Marfurt¹, E. Charlotte Sullivan¹, Alfred Lacazette², Michael Murphy¹
(1) University of Houston, Houston, TX
(2) Consulting Geologist, Houston, TX

ABSTRACT: Early Paleozoic Tectonics and Stress Fields from 3-D Seismic Attributes, Central Basin Platform, West Texas

Early Paleozoic Tectonics and Stress Fields from 3-D Seismic Attributes, Central Basin Platform, West Texas
Charles H. Blumentritt1, Kurt J. Marfurt1, E. Charlotte Sullivan1, Michael Murphy1, and Alfred Lacazette2
Because the early Paleozoic section on the Central Basin Platform in West Texas is not exposed and is decoupled from the overlying section by a major unconformity, the regional tectonics and stress fields of that zone are inferred from well data and 2-D seismic data. At the University of Houston, we are developing attributes for 3-D seismic data to improve the visibility and resolution of lineations related to local and regional stress fields. Such attributes are viewed best on seismic time or horizon slices. These attributes differ from conventional seismic attributes in that they 1.) are based on multi-trace rather than single trace calculations, 2.) compute dips directly from the data volume, rather than from interpreted horizons, and obtain various measurements of curvature from those dips. With an example from a large (~120 mi², ~300 km²) 3-D survey, we show left lateral offset of obvious north trending faults by minor faults, extensions of those minor faults past the major faults, small scale rotations of trends, and otherwise unobservable fracture patterns. The continuity of the lineations and the imaging of new patterns, combined with the detailed isopachs calculated from the 3-D seismic data set, allow us to document elements of the poly-phase tectonic history of the Central Basin Platform.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90026©2004 AAPG Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas, April 18-21, 2004.