Seismic amplitude: Its [open quotes]true[close quotes] meaning and benefit

Conference · Fri Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:6749840

Wren, A E ^[1]

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1. Hydrocarbon Explorer, Calgary, Alberta (Canada)

In the early days of seismic exploration, signal amplitude had no specific significance, and the recording systems had little or no control on the signal strength or weakness. [open quotes]Amplitude anomalies[close quotes] were perceived as spurious and little was done with them in an interpretive sense. With the advent of the [open quotes]bright spot[close quotes] in the early 1970s, it became evident that amplitude held significance with respect to lithology, porosity, and fluid, but the early excitement was replaced with frustration when it become clear that the bright spot technology was not infallible in terms of ambiguity, and that many hydrocarbon reservoirs did not exhibit bright spots. In the early 1980s, the technique of AVO (amplitude versus offset) was seen to be the necessary complementing technology to the bright spot by removing the ambiguity between reservoir sandstone, shale and coal, and shale and porosity in carbonates. In the interim, geophysicists have recognized many aspects of amplitude and the pitfalls associated with amplitude interpretation. These include the amplitude filtering effect of geophone array, tuning, side-lobe tuning, multiple interference, and partial gas saturation. All of these, except the latter, may be systematically handled. However, a profound understanding of all aspects of amplitude is necessary before the interpreter can begin to decipher the lithology, porosity, and fluid. This paper reviews the basics, illustrates the problems, and presents amplitude success case histories from several producing fields.

• OSTI ID: 6749840
• Report Number(s): CONF-940803--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States) Journal Volume: 78:7
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
03 NATURAL GAS
030200 -- Natural Gas-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
AMPLITUDES
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
SEISMIC SURVEYS
SEISMIC WAVES
SURVEYS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT