Overcoming Challenges with Constrained 3D Gravity and Gravity Gradient Inversion

A. Johnson¹

Abstract

Seismic reflection does a great job of imaging the top of salt layers but a very poor job of imaging the base of salt because of the relatively high velocity of the salt relative to the surrounding sediments. Gravity data and to a lesser degree, gravity gradient and magnetic data have been successfully used to help image the base of salt.

3D gravity and magnetic voxel inversion software has been available for a number of years, but with recent advances in algorithms and the ability to harness the available computing power of the cloud, the time taken to run even quite complex inversions has reduced dramatically and more complex solutions to traditional challenges are now practical and possible.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90188 ©GEO-2014, 11th Middle East Geosciences Conference and Exhibition, 10-12 March 2014, Manama, Bahrain