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Stratal slicing of Miocene-Pliocene sediments in Vermilion Block 50-Tiger Shoal Area, offshore Louisiana

Bureau of Economic Geology, Austin, Texas, U.S.

Corresponding author: H. Zeng, Hongliu.Zeng@beg.utexas.edu

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

Many people have viewed modern land surfaces from commercial airplanes and marveled at the form and geometry of geomorphic features such as river channels, deltas, barrier islands, and dune fields. These views represent complete images of the modern time surfaces. We can classify the depositional nature of features on these images by interpreting their planiform geometry and geographic context. In fact, modern 3-D seismic technology has made it possible for us to image similar, but much older, geomorphic or depositional features preserved in the rock record. Unfortunately, although many reservoir-scale (well-to-well scale) features can be detected in vertical seismic lines, few such features can be resolved and interpreted in the vertical perspective because of the data's limited bandwidth. Only in the horizontal perspective are such depositional features large enough to be resolvable when displayed in map view on geologic time surfaces.

However, problems exist in the use of time or horizon slices for imaging geologic time surfaces. Time slices are extracted from the data volume at a constant traveltime. Likewise, a horizon slice is constructed by extracting a seismic attribute parallel to and away from a picked horizon. For either approach to be accurate, one must assume that the formation being sliced is flat-lying or has a sheetlike geometry. However, most data volumes are characterized by significant thickness changes and faulting which can cause horizon or time-slice surfaces to sample strata from seismic events of different ages. There is a need to develop new surface extraction and interpretation tools and methods to ensure accurate extraction of time-equivalent data points. These tools also should provide maximum preservation of planiform geomorphic or sedimentologic features, which are so useful in creating an accurate seismic interpretation.

In this case study, we applied a new approach called stratal slicing to improve the picking of depositional . . . [Full Text of this Article]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. J. Wood Quantitative Seismic Geomorphology of Pliocene and Miocene Fluvial Systems in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, U.S.A. Journal of Sedimentary Research, September 1, 2007; 77(9): 713 - 730. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Zeng Seismic imaging for seismic geomorphology beyond the seabed: potentials and challenges Geological Society, London, Special Publications, January 1, 2007; 277(1): 15 - 28. [Abstract] [PDF]

				High-frequency sequence stratigraphy from seismic sedimentology: Applied to Miocene, Vermilion Block 50, Tiger Shoal area, offshore Louisiana AAPG Bulletin, February 1, 2004; 88(2): 153 - 174.

				Log-curve amplitude slicing: Visualization of log data and depositional trends in the Middle Devonian Traverse Group, Michigan basin, United States AAPG Bulletin, April 1, 2003; 87(4): 581 - 608.