Structural Styles

Brenton, David, & Ryan

Normal-fault related structures
Syncline formed by growth faulting
Shear fold formed as fault tip displacement was lost near the surface
Normal-fault related structures
Syncline formed by growth faulting
Cretaceous strata onlap
Jurassic faulting
Nigeria profile
Fault arrays under the Browse Basin
NW continental margin of Australia

Mostly normal throws - partial inversion on the NW side of section?

Post breakup unconformity overlain by strata that onlap significant
relief across the section
Normal-faulted clinoforms, offshore
Namibia
Thrust-Related Structures: Buckle folded Messinian strata, Western Ionian
Imbricate Thrust System:Glacial
thrust belt, Danish North Sea

Connors, 2009
Toe of the Delta Thrust Faults, Deep Water
Niger Delta
Virtual Seismic Atlas
Connors, 2009
Virtual Seismic Atlas
Flower Structures
Positive Flower Negative Flower
Fault Imaging Challenges
Juxtaposition of different
velocity rocks causes issues
with seismic profiles.

Ex: Thrust faults-faster velocity
rocks over slower rocks
o Salt Intrusions

Planar faults appear curved
o velocity increases with
depth
o constant thickness of rocks
represented by smaller
TWT at depth than
shallower

Located between Eastern Cordillera and the
undeformed foreland basin

Exploration in the mid 90's led to the
discovery of 2 major fields: Cusiana and
Cupiagua

BPXC - 2000km 2D sesimic - 800km
2
3D

Case Study: LLanos Foothills, Columbia
Estrada & Jaramillo (2003)
Modeling showed long tails generated by overturned thrust sheets

Post stack migration caused reflectors beneath the thrust sheets to be broken up


Case Study: LLanos Foothills,
Columbia
Estrada & Jaramillo (2003)
Reprocessing
Estrada & Jaramillo (2003)
Estrada & Jaramillo (2003)
3D seismic
Quality of 2D lines was seen as adequate for the appraisal of the Cusiana.


Wasn't possible to define the limits of
the Cupiagua field

3D acquisition resulted in "step-
change" in data quality


Estrada & Jaramillo (2003)
Seismic Attributes
An attribute is a measured characteristic
taken from seismic data
Can reveal features that could easily be missed
and aid in interpretation
Especially important in imaging complex fault
systems
For faults the two most important attributes are
coherency and volumetric curvature
Coherency
The measure of similarity between traces in a
small analysis window
Nissen, 2007
Bahorich, 1995
Coherency Cube
Virtual Seismic Atlas
References
Bahorich, Mike, and Steve Farmer. "3-D Seismic Discontinuity for Faults and Stratigraphic Features: The Coherence
Cube: ABSTRACT." The Leading Edge (1995): 1053-058.

Connors, C. D., B. Radovich, A. Danforth, and S. Venkatraman. "The Structure of the Offshore Niger Delta." Orsget
(2009): 182-88.

Estrada, C. A., & Jaramillo, J. A. (2003). Making the difference: A story of pitfalls and successes in seismic imaging in a
thrust belt environment.

Nissen, Susan. Using 3-D Seismic Attributes in Reservoir Charaterization. 9 Aug. 2007. Presentation. Hays, KS.

Virtual Seismic Atlas, http://see-atlas.leeds.ac.uk:8080/home.jsp