3 D Seismic Exploration

Details the properties of 3D acquisition geometries and shows how they naturally lead to the 3D symmetric sampling approach to 3D survey design. Many examples are used to illustrate choices of acquisition parameters, and the link between survey parameters and noise suppression as well as imaging is an intrinsic part of the contents.

Elements of 3D Seismology, third edition is a thorough introduction to the acquisition, processing, and interpretation of 3D seismic data. This third edition is a major update of the second edition. Sections dealing with interpretation have been greatly revised in accordance with improved understanding and availability of data and software. Practice exercises have been added, as well as a 3D seismic survey predesign exercise. Discussions include: conceptual and historical foundations of modern reflection seismology; an overview of seismic wave phenomena in acoustic, elastic, and porous media; acquisition principles for land and marine seismic surveys; methods used to create 2D and 3D seismic images from field data; concepts of dip moveout, prestack migration, and depth migration; concepts and limitations of 3D seismic interpretation for structure, stratigraphy, and rock property estimation; and the interpretation role of attributes, impedance estimation, and AVO. This book is intended as a general text on reflection seismology, including wave propagation, data acquisition, processing, and interpretation and will be of interest to entry-level geophysicists, experts in related fields (geology, petroleum engineering), and experienced geophysicists in one subfield wishing to learn about another (e.g., interpreters wanting to learn about seismic waves or data acquisition).

Hardcover plus DVD

This illustration-rich book explains seismic data acquisition operations from a fundamental and practical standpoint, ranging from land to marine 2D methods to 3D seismic methods. Helpful to geologists, field crews, exploration managers, petroleum engineers, and geophysicists, each chapter concludes with exercises on field data recording problems.

This book presents the essential principles and applications of seismic oil-exploration techniques. It concisely covers all stages in exploration activities (data field acquisition, data processing and interpretation), supplementing the main text with a wealth of (>350) illustrations and figures. The book concentrates on the physics of the applied principles, avoiding intricate mathematical treatment and lengthy theoretical reasoning. A further prominent feature is the inclusion of a separate chapter on 3D surveying techniques and another, equally important chapter on seismic digital signals and the aliasing problem, which is presented in an accessible form. The book is designed to meet the needs of both the academic and industrial worlds. University students and employees of oil-exploration companies alike will find the book to be a valuable resource.

3-D seismic data have become the key tool used in the petroleum industry to understand the subsurface. In addition to providing excellent structural images, the dense sampling of a 3-D survey makes it possible to map reservoir quality and the distribution of oil and gas. Topics covered in this book include basic structural interpretation and map-making; the use of 3-D visualisation methods; interpretation of seismic amplitudes, including their relation to rock and fluid properties; and the generation and use of AVO and acoustic impedance datasets. This new paperback edition includes an extra appendix presenting new material on novel acquisition design, pore pressure prediction from seismic velocity, elastic impedance inversion, and time lapse seismics. Written by professional geophysicists with many years' experience in the oil industry, the book is indispensable for geoscientists using 3-D seismic data, including graduate students and new entrants into the petroleum industry.

The 3D seismic method evolved as a natural outgrowth of 2D seismic exploration. This reprint volume attempts to chronicle both the evolution and the state-of-the-art of the 3D seismic method. Papers selected for this volume sample the literature from the early 1970s through 1998. They were drawn primarily from Geophysics, Geophysical Prospecting, The Leading Edge, and First Break. From these journals and publications alone, more than 200 candidate articles were identified dealing with some aspect of 3D seismic exploration. Selection criteria included historical significance, tutorial value, novelty, theoretical importance, practicality, and cost-benefit analysis. The papers are arranged chronologically. The papers in this volume and their rich reference lists cover virtually all of the relevant work on exploration 3D through 1998. The chapters are "The Early Work," "3-D Field Methods," "3-D Processing Imaging," "3-D Case Histories/Interpretation," "Shallow 3-D Seismic Methods," and "3-D Economics."