An evaluation of the impact of shot and receiver lines spacing on seismic data quality – the Wierzbica 3D AGH seismic experiment

An attempt was made to describe the quality of the stacked seismic data semi-quantitatively with respect to the spacing of shot and receiver lines. The methods used included: signal-to-noise ratio calculation, seismic-to-well tie accuracy, wavelet extraction effectiveness and reliability of semi-automated interpretation of seismic attributes. This study was focused on the Ordovician-Silurian interval of the Lublin Basin, Poland, as it was considered as a main target for the exploration of unconventional hydrocarbon deposits. Our results reconfirm the obvious dependency between the density of the acquisition parameters and data quality. However, we also discovered that the seismic data quality is less affected by the shot line spacing than by comparable receiver line spacing. We attributed this issue to the fact of the higher irregularity of the shot points than receiver points, imposed by the terrain accessibility. We have also proven that the regularity of receiver and shot point distribution is crucial for the reliable interpretation of structural seismic attributes, since these were found to be highly sensitive to the acquisition geometry

Multiple Regression and Modified Faust Equation on Well Logging Data in Application to Seismic Procedures: Polish Outer Carpathians Case Study

An appropriate velocity model from well logs is a key issue in the processing and interpretation of seismic data. In a deep borehole located in the central part of the Polish Outer Carpathians, the sonic measurements were inadequate for seismic purposes due to the poor quality of data and gaps in the logging. Multiple regression (MR) and a modified Faust equation were proposed to model the velocity log. MR estimated the P-wave slowness as a dependent variable on the basis of sets of various logs as independent variables. The solutions were verified by the interval velocity from Check Shots (CS) and by the convergence of synthetic seismograms and the real seismic traces. MR proved to be an effective method when a set of other logs was available. The modified Faust method allowed computation of P-wave velocity based on the shallow resistivity logs, depth, and compaction factor. Faust coefficients were determined according to the lithology and stratigraphy divisions and were calibrated with the use of the velocity previously determined in the MR analysis. The modified Faust equation may be applied in nearby old wells with limited logging data, particularly with no sonic logs, where MR could not be successfully applied

Reconstruction of the Miocene depositional architecture of the Carpathian Foredeep basin based on geophysical data

The Carpathian Foredeep in Poland is divided into two parts, eastern and western, with different tectonic frameworks and conditions of the Neogene sedimentary fill. The boundary is the so-called Krakow Ridge associated with the contact of two regional tectonic units: Upper Silesian and Malopolska blocks. The width of the Foredeep varies regionally and significantly differs in the western and eastern parts. It was developed within the epi-Variscan platform. Two zones can be distinguished in the Foredeep: the inner (older) zone and the outer zone. The subject of the presented work is the eastern part of the outer zone of Foredeep located in front of the head of the Carpathian thrust and filled mainly by autochthonous Miocene formations. The meridional width of this zone of the basin varies from about 10 km in the vicinity of Krakow to nearly 100 km in the central part. Its tectonic framework is defined from the south and south-west by marginal structures of the Carpathian overthrust and tectonic units of the folded Miocene. From the north-east and north-west, the border is marked by a system of faults in the foreground of Roztocze Upland and the Holy Cross Mountains. In the Sub-Cenozoic basement, a set of large faults of NW-SE length, with different times of formation and activity, is marked. These faults locally define horst structures and tectonic grabens. Some of the faults continue under the Carpathians, under which there is also a system of transversal faults in relation to the main axis of the orogeny. The influence of the tectonic structures of the basement is noticeable within the Miocene cover by faults disappearing towards the surface and continuous deformations of the adaptive type. The outer foreland basin is filled with marine molasse type deposits of the unfolded autochthonous Middle Miocene with a thickness of up to approx. 3.500 m. The complex of Miocene formations is formed, in the lower, south-western and central part, by strongly differentiated submarine fan deposits accompanied by basin plain formations and gravitational flow deposits, including turbidite deposits characteristic of flysch sedimentation. The outer part of the fans smoothly transitions into the zone of fine-clastic sedimentation of the basin plain. Above the complex of submarine fan sediments, there are thick complexes of sediments of deltaic origin, which are also intensively variable facies, creating a set of channel (coarse-grained) and extra-channel (finegrained) facies. The highest, relatively thin part of the sediments is formed by shallow coastal shelf formations. Submarine fans and river deltas developed mainly in the zone of the south-western and southern coasts of the Miocene reservoir, surrounded by river mouths providing an abundant supply of material from the rising and eroded Carpathians. In the north-eastern and locally even in the middle part of the basin, sediments may appear, for which the feeding area was located in the hinterland of the northern and north-eastern coast of the Miocene Sea. The limited scope of extraction of drill cores resulting from the exploratory and exploitation nature of drilling makes it necessary to use borehole and surface geophysical data to reconstruct the depositional architecture. Processing and interpretation of geophysical data for a complex of Miocene sediments with such characteristics are problematic and ambiguous. Numerous sources of sedimentary material supply in the form of river mouths and submarine channels cause a significant diversification of the depositional architecture of the Miocene basin, making it difficult to trace uniform stratigraphic and lithological and facies boundaries. Sedimentary conditions cause, on the one hand, a certain monotony of the sediments, dominated by clastic formations, enriched by evaporate sediments horizons, and on the other hand, great lateral and depth facies differentiation. Geophysical well-logging data allows to recognize the lithological and facies variability of sediments and to determine the sequence of changes along the borehole trajectory. Seismic reflection data was used to track lateral variability. For the seismic reflective method, the reflective boundaries, characterized by a significant, abrupt change in acoustic impedance, are of primary importance. Within the Miocene basin, numerous reflective boundaries with high lateral variability and non-obvious stratigraphic identification are observed. In a complex of siliciclastic deposits, seismic wave reflections are recorded from the boundaries separating fine-grained lithofacies and medium- and coarse-grained facies. Due to the dominance of deltaic sediments and submarine fans in the depositional architecture of the Miocene complex, the regional continuity of such boundaries is problematic, and their unambiguous stratigraphic identification is practically impossible. To sum up, intense lithological and facies variability of clastic deposits, both lateral and vertical, should be expected within the Miocene complex. The sediments of individual fragments of submarine fans and deltas overlap each other, and there may also be overlaps with the sediments of neighboring fans. Such characteristics of the complex translate into a variable seismic pattern with numerous reflective boundaries and intense lateral variability of the seismic signal characteristic