--> Abstract: Integrated Approach to 3D near Surface Characterization, by Andreas Laake, Andrew Cutts, and Claudio Strobbia; #90105 (2010)

Datapages, Inc.Print this page

AAPG GEO 2010 Middle East
Geoscience Conference & Exhibition
Innovative Geoscience Solutions – Meeting Hydrocarbon Demand in Changing Times
March 7-10, 2010 – Manama, Bahrain

Integrated Approach to 3D near Surface Characterization

Andreas Laake1; Andrew Cutts1; Claudio Strobbia1

(1) WesternGeco, Gatwick Airport, United Kingdom.

Geophysical exploration and reservoir characterization mainly uses surface sources to generate elastic or electro-magnetic waves which travel through the subsurface where they are reflected at the reservoir. Eventually, the reflected signals return to the surface where they are detected by surface receivers. The challenge these techniques face is to correct for the high degree of distortion which the near-surface layers inflict on the propagation of geophysical waves. Detection and correction, however, requires a certain degree of knowledge about these layers. We propose a multidisciplinary approach for the near-surface characterization since the strong vertical and lateral variations of the near-surface properties are hard to detect using one physical property alone.

An integrated approach to 3D geologic and elastic characterization of the near surface is presented. The integration of high spatial resolution, relatively low-confidence remote sensing, and geologic data with sparse spatial resolution, high-confidence geophysical data in a GIS database allows for cross-calibration of both types of datasets, thus providing calibrated near-surface models. The method comprises the generation of a 3D near-surface geologic model, from which the input for a 3D elastic model is obtained. The elastic model is then calibrated with seismic data to provide the final 3D near-surface model. The method has been demonstrated at two case histories covering geomorphological features typical for desert areas in North Africa and the Middle East.