Geology 554 - Interpretation Project

Big Injun Sand, Trenton/Black River Plays,

Central Appalachian Basin, WV

Lab Exercise- Part 3

• Fault Polygons and Faulted Horizon Grids

• Map Math
• Contouring time Grids
• Reflection Amplitude Grids
• Extraction of reflection travel time data for analysis
in PsiPlot or Excel
• Summary of tasks with report guidelines

Team effort on these interpretation

exercises is encouraged. This will allow
you to interpret a greater number of
horizons and share insights into the
interpretation of the area.
Wilson (2005)

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Digitizing Fault Polygons
Last week you digitized the acoustic basement reflector.
The basement reflectors terminate at various faults
identified in your interpretation (Margin and 2nd Fault, for
example). At this point double click the basement horizon
in your project tree and check your map for consistency of
fault locations (note the locations of fault gaps and + signs
that identify the fault location.

In the map below check your interpretation across the

Margin Fault from Line 2 to Line 3. You may want to
adjust your fault locations so that the Margin fault can pass
smoothly between lines 2 and 3.

It may prove difficult to get a completely satisfactory

solution to the fault plane location, but put some time into
making your picks as consistent as possible.

Once you’re satisfied with your fault picks, we have to

surround the faults by fault polygons so that the gridding
operation will not attempt to grid across faults but only
through areas between faults.

To insert fault polygons, right click on your basement

horizon map; click on edit fault polygons (see below).

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You may have to right click on the map once again, click
on edit fault polygons and then click on digitize to activate
the polygon editing tool.

Once Digitize has been selected, click on the D key. This

will bring up the following window. Name the fault
polygon you are going to digitize (Margin, for example),

and then digitize a fault polygon that encircles the fault

gaps. The mouse arrow will be replaced by a +D. Simply
click on points that enclose the fault gaps (see next page).

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You may find it helpful to zoom in on your map so that you
have a more detailed view of the fault gaps. The
digitization works much like it does with faults and
horizons. A rubber band remains attached to the mouse tip
as you pull the polygon through various parts of the map.

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 I’ve incorporated some additional faults into my
interpretation. The fault polygons highlighting each fault

Note: If your fault polygons

don’t appear, go into your
project tree and check the box
next to unassociated faults.
This should bring up your fault
polygon(s). Then double click
and associate the polygon
with the appropriate fault in
your list.

are shown in the figure below.

Each of you should decide what they think are potential

faults and on how faults correlate from one line to the next.
Feel free to work together or in groups. I have chosen not
to correlate the large 2nd fault out observed on Line 6 with
the large offset fault observed on the western end of Line 5.
How did you decide to interpret this and why? Instead, I
have interpreted additional faults, some with minor offsets
that may be possible extensions of faults which have a
more northerly strike and are not observed along line 6.

Fault Polygon Manager

Access the fault polygon management window by right
clicking on your map and selecting it from the drop down
list. Under display, fill color based on associated fault
surface to have the fill color match the fault color. If you
do not do this the fill will take on the single color you
specify.

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Grid the Basement Horizon
Once your fault polygons are in place, you can grid your
basement surface.

Gridded basement horizon. Contours are discontinuous

across faults except when offsets are small.

The fault interpretation I’ve made above is just that – an

interpretation. The location of the deep blue – larger travel
time – region northwest of the 2nd Fault on Line 6 and the
5th Fault on Line 5 suggest they may actually be connected.
On the other hand, the intervening fault blocks could rotate
down to the northeast, or there could be a northwest
striking cross fault through the middle of the area across
which fault blocks are decoupled.

Grid Math
As part of the exploration project, we would like to explore
the variations in travel time between horizons and explore
their meaning in terms of either syndepositional growth or
movement of structures or post depositional thickening by
detachment. The time maps (time grids) for the Devonian
Huron Shale and Big Injun Sandstone reflection events are
shown side-by-side below.

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Big Injun Time Map Huron Time Map

Note the horizon grids reveal a major synclinal trough that

plunges down to the northeast.

The maps shown above use the Standard KINGDOM

Palette. CLB color bar.

To create a map showing travel time differences, go to

Tools, Calculators, Math on two Maps as shown below.

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In the following window there are several parameters to
specify. You could choose to compute the differences
between two time horizons or two time grids.
One might consider computing the difference between
horizons and then computing the grid separately for the
time-difference.

In the window above, I’ve selected the Huron time grid as

the first variable and the Big Injun time grid as the second.
A variety of math operations and functions can be applied
to the maps.

Subtract the Big Injun grid from the Huron Grid by

selecting the – sign from the button bar at right.

You’ll also have to give a name to your map and select a

color. Click Compute when finished. The time-difference
grid will come up in a separate view window.

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Contouring Time Grids

Generate a time-structure contour map by selecting

Contour, Select (see dialog window below). Select the
grid (or horizon). If you are contouring a horizon, you will
have to specify the data type (amplitude or time).

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Check your contour parameters window and select an
appropriate contour interval.

If you don’t check the Parameters, the Contour

Parameters dialog box will automatically appear. You can
also change the contour parameters by clicking on the Set
Contour Parameters Icon (below) to see what the effect
is.

You can check the effect of various parameter selections by

leaving the contour parameters window active and selecting
Apply. Your result may appear similar to that shown below.

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Time contour of the Huron grid.

Below, time contours are shown for the Big Injun-to-Huron

Grid.

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Gridding Reflection Amplitudes

Increases or decreases in reflection amplitude indicate

some change in the physical properties of the reservoir.
Those changes could be associated with reservoir facies
changes that result in velocity and density changes. The
change in amplitude could also occur in response to
thickening or thinning of the reservoir interval, to porosity
changes, or to an increased concentration of natural gas. In
the Gulf Coast and elsewhere in Plio-Pleistocene age
reservoirs, high amplitude anomalies are considered an
indicator of increased gas concentrations within the
reservoir interval. These anomalies are often referred to as
DHIs (direct hydrocarbon indicators). DHI analysis has
become quite sophisticated in recent years and now
incorporates evaluation of the amplitude variation with
offset and angle in CMP (common midpoint) gathers.

Also, note that in the present setting, the Big Injun

Sandstone is an oil reservoir. The strata are much older and
therefore more compacted and lithified than are the
sediments deposited on active margins. DHI analysis is not
common in the Appalachians

Construction of an amplitude grid is identical to the

construction of reflection travel time grids (see previous
exercise).

Extraction of reflection travel time data for

analysis in PsiPlot or Excel

To export time and amplitude values for digitized reflection

events, click on Horizons > Export > Horizons. That will
bring up the following menu.

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In the above dialog window, I have selected the output
horizon (the Huron), and in the surveys list I have selected
only Line 6. Specify Landmark Time as the output
format. The start and end shot points could be specified, but
default to the entire line.

Click OK. A save window dialog will come up

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 Save your file. You can then bring the file up in PsiPlot or
Excel for display.

The column format of the Landmark Time output format is

shown below

An XY plot of the data looks like that shown below.

Line6T.dat
680
685
690
Time (ms)

695
700
705
710
715
720
100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450

ShotPoint

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Consider the expanded time view of Huron travel time
variations as shown below.

This utility can be used to examine travel time variations,

travel time differences, amplitude variations, etc in more
detail.

Part 3: Assignment
1) Complete your horizon grids and isochore maps. If you
are working together with others in as a team, some
duplication of effort should be incorporated into individual
tasks to allow for comparison and discussion of
interpretations particularly where there is overlap between
individual efforts (e.g. the bottom of one team member’s
isochore map may be the top of another’s).

2) Explore the geologic history of the area and its possible

relationship to the distribution of oil production in the Big
Injun or perhaps a large gas reservoir in the deeper Trenton
& Black River intervals.

Familiarize yourself with the additional capabilities of the

software discussed in today’s lab and take advantage of
various capabilities to explore the geologic history of the

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 area and its possible relationship to the distribution of oil
production in the Big Injun or perhaps a large gas
reservoir in the deeper Trenton & Black River intervals.

________________________________________________________________________

Geol 554 Interpretation Project

Summary Activities and Report

Below, is a summary of the interpretation project tasks noted at the end of the in-
class lab exercises. General report guidelines follow.

Part 1: Initial interpretation tasks:

1) Interpret faults in the deeper part of the section and bring your interpreted sections to
class. We will discuss and compare basement fault interpretations as a group.
2) Contour the 2-way reflection times to the Big Injun reflection event at about 0.3 seconds
throughout the area. Bring your contour map to class next week for discussion.
3) As noted above, oil is produced from the Big Injun sandstone. Where do you think oil
production in this formation would be best? Identify a well location that you think would
offer you the best chances for immediate promotion.

Part 2: Assignment:
1) Individuals should complete the interpretation and picking of at least 2 prominent
reflection events in addition to the Greenbrier/Big Injun and basement event picked in
class today.
2) Grid each horizon and contour it.

Part 3: Assignment
1) Complete your horizon grids and isochore maps (at least two).
2) Explore the geologic history of the area and its possible relationship to the distribution
of oil production in the Big Injun or perhaps a large gas reservoir in the deeper Trenton &
Black River intervals.

In summary, you should interpret a minimum of 4 horizons, two of which include the Big
Injun reflection event and the Basement reflector. You need to identify and correlate
faults that offset the lower Cambrian reflection events. Identify and interpret basement
faults. Construct fault polygons before you grid the Basement surface or other deeper,
faulted reflection event. The isochore maps are maps of the interval travel time
differences between two reflection events. Isochron has a more general usage, and can be
used to describe lines of equal reflection times, equal time differences, or equal delay
times. In this project, you are looking at time differences to help you gain some insight
into the reactivation history of the deeper basement faults. As noted in class, the history
of movement along these faults is a dynamic one. Their initial development occurred
during a Cambrian episode of failed rifting, but were later reactivated during the closing
of Iapetus and may represent minor deformation events associated with the Taconic,
Acadian and early Alleghenian orogenies. Look at how movement on the deeper faults

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vary by constructing at least two isochore maps and examining the patterns of thickening
and thinning of strata relative to underlying fault complex.

With regard to exploration ideas, for this project, think in terms of structure - folds,
faults, and fracture zones. There are a variety of possible plays in this area including the
Big Injun oil bearing sands, the overlying Big Lime (or Greenbrier Ls.), fractured
Devonian shale reservoirs in the Huron (event at 0.7 seconds identified and gridded in
class Thursday), Onondaga plays ( at about 0.9 seconds, see your reference section), as
well as fractured reservoirs in the deeper Trenton and Black River intervals (again, refer
to the reference section).

To integrate your interpretation efforts, prepare a report that discusses and illustrates your
work and your interpretation of these seismic lines, to include:

ABSTRACT: Provide a brief (approximately 200 word) description of the exercise and
outcome.
INTRODUCTION: Describe what you are trying to do and why … for example: to define
the major structures in the prospect area, look for possible traps, and understand the geologic
history of the area and how that may have affected things like fluid migration and reservoir
development.
DISCUSSION: Present your observations and how you would tie the different data sets
together. Make screen captures (View> Copy Active Window) and place in figures to
illustrate your interpretations
SUMMARY: Briefly state the main conclusions of your analysis.
REFERENCES: If you have looked into any references as a part of your work, they
should be noted in the text and properly cited.

I realize you all bring different backgrounds and levels of experience and perspectives to
an effort such as this. My main objective is to have you demonstrate in your report that
you have thoroughly analyzed the data using Kingdom Suite analysis tools as described
and illustrated in the three lab exercises.

Given that we will have an exam on the 11th, let’s make October 18th the deadline for this
report. This will give us plenty of time to discuss any problems with the software that
may arise in the next week or so.

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