Research concluded that interactive macro model validation using quantitative structural criteria is not yet possible because of the requirement of intensive and interpretative seismic interpretation and for analysis in the depth domain; this is not yet a practical proposition.
The significance of sub-resolution structure i.e. ductile strain was investigated for a variety of fault related structures, some of the results of which were published in:
- Ductile strain effects in the analysis of seismic interpretations of normal fault systems. 1996. (Walsh, J. J., Watterson, J., Childs, C. & Nicol, A.)
- Three-dimensional geometry and growth of conjugate normal faults. 1995. (Nicol, A., Walsh, J. J., Watterson, J. & Bretan, P. G.)
- Origin of some conjugate or "X"-shaped fault structures. 1996. (Bretan, P. G., Nicol, A., Walsh, J. J. & Watterson, J.)
Construction of numerical model of a faulted volume which has incorporated as basement to the overthrust model of the SEG/EAEG 3D modelling project.
Work has concentrated on the application of commercially available continuity/coherence techniques for interpretation of faults from seismic data.
A fault polygon map in red produced by an initial manual interpretation of seismic section data overlain over a continuity anomaly map of the same horizon. The data is from a region with an unusual polygonal fault network. Below is the automatically generated continuity map showing increasingly anomalous regions in shades of dark blue, red and yellow.
The anomalies on the continuity map show excellent correspondence with the manual interpretation and indicate the extension of faults beyond their previously mapped positions. The continuity method shows the fault network is much more connected than had previously been supposed.
Contact: John Walsh
Tel: +353 1 716 2606
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