--> New Opportunities Identified from Improved Imaging of a Fold-and-Thrust Belt, Labarge, Wyoming — A Case Study, Feeley, Mary H., #90100 (2009)

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New Opportunities Identified from Improved Imaging of a Fold-and-Thrust Belt, Labarge, Wyoming — A Case Study

Feeley, Mary H.1

1Technical, ExxonMobil Exploration Company, Houston, TX.

In the LaBarge area of the Wyoming Range ExxonMobil produces predominantly gas from shallow overthrust and basement involved structures in the Cretaceous Frontier and Paleozoic Madison Formations. In 2004 ExxonMobil undertook a 4 year effort focused on improving seismic imaging over the LaBarge structure to better understand the complex structural framework controlling productivity trends and identify new opportunities.

Existing 3D seismic datasets consisted of four legacy 3D datasets (vintages 1999 - 2003) inadequate to unravel the complex structural history. Improvement in the seismic imaging was undertaken in a two phased approach - 1) new data acquisition in mountainous terrain to the west along the Darby Thrust, and 2) a full pre-stack merge of the 4 existing 3D seismic datasets with the new acquisition.

New data acquisition took place in 2004/2005 in the high altitude, forested mountains west of LaBarge. Operating in this environmentally sensitive area required predominantly helicopter - portable operations supporting surveying, recording and dynamite shot-hole drilling. During Phase 2 the five diverse 3D surveys were merged. Challenges to merging the datasets included a wide range of seismic noise types due to wide variation of near surface velocities and the combination of vibroseis and dynamite sources.

Ultimately the reinterpretation of the merged 3D datasets led to new structural mapping, improved depth conversion leading to identification of new opportunities and development of a new structural model along a complex thrust front.

AAPG Search and Discover Article #90100©2009 AAPG International Conference and Exhibition 15-18 November 2009, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil