Geresi, Erika1, Ross Chapman2, Tom McGee1,
J. R.
Woolsey1
(1) University of Mississippi, University, MS
(2) University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia
ABSTRACT: Seismic Calibration of the Proposed DOE/JIP Drill Site in Atwater Valley 14 in the Gulf of Mexico: Initial Results in Expected Future Development
Gas hydrates are well known for their capacity to change the physical properties of
near-surface sediments and have been linked to massive slope failures on continental
margins. As drilling in the Gulf of Mexico has progressed from shallow-water shelf depths
(<200m) to deep-water slope depths (>1000m), wells now penetrate the gas hydrate
stability zone. In order to understand the consequences of drilling through the hydrate
zone, it is imperative to understand the geological setting and the physical properties in
which these hydrates exist and to be able to estimate the distribution and concentration
of gas hydrate deposits especially in the subsurface.
In October 2003, the prototype Vertical Line Array (VLA) was deployed in Atwater Valley
14. The water was about 1300m deep. Runs were made on the VLA site firing a surface-towed
seismic source. Simultaneously, a single-channel hydrophone array was towed beneath the
source to provide a high-resolution seismic reflection profile.
Signal processing consisting of source wavelet deconvolution, trace interpolation,
prestack migration/inversion, RNMO correction, amplitude calibration and true-amplitude
processing was carried out on the data. Subsequently, the amplitude information was used
for AVO analysis to estimate velocity, reflection coefficient, acoustic impedance. The
calibrated parameters of the sediment that were determined from the analysis make it
possible to construct a density model.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90026©2004 AAPG Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas, April 18-21, 2004.