Application of Seismic Attributes for Enhanced Structural Interpretation of the Wilburton Gas Field Area in Southeastern Oklahoma

Sahai, Surinder¹, Ibrahim Cemen¹, Dale Cox² (1) Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK (2) Cox Geophysical Inc, Oklahoma City, OK

The Wilburton gas field area is part of the frontal Ouachitas-Arkoma Basin transition zone in southeastern Oklahoma. The area is undergoing intense exploration activity. Past structural interpretations of the area have included the existence of a triangle zone in the footwall of the Choctaw fault. However, the shallow geological section in the transition zone has been difficult to image because of the poor quality of the earlier vintage seismic data acquired in the 1970s. Moreover, the seismic data used in previous studies has not been able to image below the lower Atokan Spiro sandstone which has been used as a “key bed” in structural restoration of the geological sections in the transition zone.

Recently acquired 3-D seismic data in the Wilburton gas field provides additional insights into the structural complexity of the area. The use of seismic attributes of instantaneous amplitude, and the first and second derivatives of the instantaneous amplitude further enhance the seismic imaging of the Atokan and older strata. In addition, the first and second derivatives of the seismic data increase the vertical resolution. These enhancements to seismic data make it possible to interpret the structures in upper Atokan to Hunton strata The seismic attribute data also makes it easier to calculate the structural shortening in the Arkoma Basin due to thrusting. The calculated structural shortening in the basin is of the order of 21 percent.