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Looking for Previous HitSeismicNext Hit Facies Expression of Fault and Related Deformation Zones in 3-D Previous HitSeismicNext Hit Volumes

Abstract

Mapping and understanding distributed deformation is a major challenge for the structural interpretation of Previous HitseismicNext Hit data. Conventional workflows for Previous HitseismicNext Hit interpretation commonly represent faults as discrete planar discontinuities across which stratal reflections are offset (Brown, 2001). Although this approach can greatly facilitate the creation of maps of stratal surfaces and hence the formulation of Previous HitseismicNext Hit stratigraphic models, this simplification can hamper understanding of subsurface structural geology. We show here that volumes of Previous HitseismicNext Hit signal disturbance with low signal/noise ratio are systematically observed within 3D Previous HitseismicNext Hit datasets around fault systems. These Previous HitseismicNext Hit disturbance zones (SDZ) are commonly characterized by complex perturbations of the signal and occur at the sub-Previous HitseismicNext Hit to Previous HitseismicNext Hit scale. They may store important information on deformation distributed around those larger scale structures that may be readily interpreted in conventional amplitude displays of Previous HitseismicNext Hit data scale. We introduce a method to detect fault-related disturbance zonesand to discriminate between this and other noise sources such as those associated with the Previous HitseismicNext Hit acquisition (footprint noise). Two case studies, from the Taranaki basin and deep-water Niger delta are presented. These resolve structures within SDZs using tensor and semblance attributes along with conventional Previous HitseismicNext Hit mapping. We shows that, through Previous HitseismicNext Hit image processing and the use of cross-plot functions, it is possible to extract SDZs, to treat them as geobodies and explore their internal Previous HitseismicNext Hit texture. A Previous HitseismicNext Hit image processing workflow to map the signal properties within the fault SDZ and reconstruct unsupervised Previous HitseismicTop facies by using cluster analysis methods is proposed.