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Results for “SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts”

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USGS2011

Recent faulting in western Nevada revealed by multi-scale seismic reflection

The main goal of this study is to compare different reflection methods used to image subsurface structure within different physical environments in western Nevada. With all the methods employed, the primary goal is fault imaging for structural information toward geothermal exploration and seismic hazard estimation. We use seismic CHIRP (a swept-frequency marine acquisition system), weight drop (an accelerated hammer source), and two different vibroseis systems to characterize fault structure. We focused our efforts in the Reno metropolitan area and the area within and surrounding Pyramid Lake in northern Nevada. These different methods have provided valuable constraints on the fault geometry and activity, as well as associated fluid movement. These are critical in evaluating the potential for large earthquakes in these areas, and geothermal exploration possibilities near these structures.

Nevada↗
USGS2006

Relative importance of magnetic moments in UXO clearance applications

Surface magnetic anomaly observed in UXO clearance is mainly dipolar and, as a result, the dipole is the only moment used regularly in UXO applications. The dipole moment contains intensity of magnetization information but lacks shape information. Unlike dipole, higher-order moments, such as quadrupole and octupole, encode asymmetry properties of magnetization distribution within buried targets. In order to improve our understanding of magnetization distribution within UXO and non-UXO objects and its potential utility in UXO clearance, we present results of a 3D numerical modeling study for highly susceptible metallic objects. The basis for modeling is the solution of a nonlinear integral equation, describing magnetization within isolated objects, allowing us to compute magnetic moments of the object, analyze their relationships, and provide a depiction of the surface anomaly produced by the different moments within the object. Our modeling results show significant high-order moments for more asymmetric objects situated at typical UXO burial depths, and suggest that the increased relative contribution to magnetic gradient data from these higher-order moments may provide a practical tool for improved UXO discrimination. ?? 2005 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts↗
USGS2006

Rayleigh-wave diffractions due to a void in the layered half space

Void detection is challenging due to the complexity of near-surface materials and the limited resolution of geophysical methods. Although multichannel, high-frequency, surface-wave techniques can provide reliable shear (S)-wave velocities in different geological settings, they are not suitable for detecting voids directly based on anomalies of the S-wave velocity because of limitations on the resolution of S-wave velocity profiles inverted from surface-wave phase velocities. Xia et al. (2006a) derived a Rayleigh-wave diffraction traveltime equation due to a void in the homogeneous half space. Encouraging results of directly detecting a void from Rayleigh-wave diffractions were presented (Xia et al., 2006a). In this paper we used four two-dimensional square voids in the layered half space to demonstrate the feasibility of detecting a void with Rayleigh-wave diffractions. Rayleigh-wave diffractions were recognizable for all these models after removing direct surface waves by F-K filtering. We evaluate the feasibility of applying the Rayleigh-wave diffraction traveltime equation to a void in the layered earth model. The phase velocity of diffracted Rayleigh waves is predominately determined by surrounding materials of a void. The modeling results demonstrate that the Rayleigh-wave diffraction traveltime equation due to a void in the homogeneous half space can be applied to the case of a void in the layered half space. In practice, only two diffraction times are necessary to define the depth to the top of a void and the average velocity of diffracted Rayleigh waves. ?? 2005 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts↗
USGS2006

Estimation of pseudo-2D shear-velocity section by inversion of high frequency surface waves

A scheme to generate pseudo-2D shear-velocity sections with high horizontal resolution and low field cost by inversion of high frequency surface waves is presented. It contains six steps. The key step is the joint method of crossed correlation and phase shift scanning. This joint method chooses only two traces to generate image of dispersion curve. For Rayleigh-wave dispersion is most important for estimation of near-surface shear-wave velocity, it can effectively obtain reliable images of dispersion curves with a couple of traces. The result of a synthetic example shows the feasibility of this scheme. ?? 2005 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts↗
USGS2006

Time-lapse seismic study of levees in southern New Mexico

The primary objective of this work was to measure changes in compressional- (Vp) and shear-wave (Vs) velocities in an earthen levee during a ponding experiment designed to simulate flood conditions on the Rio Grande in south New Mexico. Although similar to such experiment, performed an year earlier on the Rio Grande in south Texas, the levee seismic response results are different. This work was similar to previous Preliminary testing at three levee sites, all within a 1 km radius and each with unique physical, EM, and core characteristics, was completed and a single low-conductivity, highly fractured site was selected for investigation. Several different types of seismic data were recorded. Seismic data analysis techniques appraised included P-refraction tomography and Rayleigh surface-wave analysis using multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW). P-wave velocity change (decrease) was rapid and isolated to one section within the pool confines, which already had anomalously high velocity most likely related to burrowing animals modification of the levee structure. S-wave velocity change was gradual and could be observed along the whole width of the pond within and below the levee. The results within the levee sand core were consistent with the observations of sand S-wave velocity changed due to saturation. ?? 2005 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts↗
USGS2006

The quest for the perfect gravity anomaly: Part 1 - New calculation standards

The North American gravity database together with databases from Canada, Mexico, and the United States are being revised to improve their coverage, versatility, and accuracy. An important part of this effort is revision of procedures and standards for calculating gravity anomalies taking into account our enhanced computational power, modern satellite-based positioning technology, improved terrain databases, and increased interest in more accurately defining different anomaly components. The most striking revision is the use of one single internationally accepted reference ellipsoid for the horizontal and vertical datums of gravity stations as well as for the computation of the theoretical gravity. The new standards hardly impact the interpretation of local anomalies, but do improve regional anomalies. Most importantly, such new standards can be consistently applied to gravity database compilations of nations, continents, and even the entire world. ?? 2005 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts↗
USGS2006

The quest for the perfect gravity anomaly: Part 2 - Mass effects and anomaly inversion

Gravity anomalies have become an important tool for geologic studies since the widespread use of high-precision gravimeters after the Second World War. More recently the development of instrumentation for airborne gravity observations, procedures for acquiring data from satellite platforms, the readily available Global Positioning System for precise vertical and horizontal control, improved global data bases, and enhancement of computational hardware and software have accelerated the use of the gravity method. As a result, efforts are being made to improve the gravity databases that are made available to the geoscience community by broadening their observational holdings and increasing the accuracy and precision of the included data. Currently the North American Gravity Database as well as the individual databases of Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America are being revised using new formats and standards. The objective of this paper is to describe the use of the revised standards for gravity data processing and modeling and there impact on geological interpretations. ?? 2005 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts↗
USGS2011

PP and PS interferometric images of near-seafloor sediments

I present interferometric processing examples from an ocean-bottom cable OBC dataset collected at a water depth of 800 m in the Gulf of Mexico. Virtual source and receiver gathers created through cross-correlation of full wavefields show clear PP reflections and PS conversions from near-seafloor layers of interest. Virtual gathers from wavefield-separated data show improved PP and PS arrivals. PP and PS brute stacks from the wavefield-separated data compare favorably with images from a non-interferometric processing flow. ?? 2011 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts↗
USGS2011

Classification of MEC with the ALLTEM at Camp Stanley, Texas

The ALLTEM is a multi-axis electromagnetic induction system designed for unexploded ordnance UXO applications. It uses a continuous triangle-wave excitation and provides good late-time signal-to-noise ratio SNR especially for ferrous targets. Multi-axis transmitter Tx and receiver Rx systems such as ALLTEM provide a richer data set from which to invert for the target parameters required to distinguish between clutter and UXO. Inversions of field data acquired between 2006 and 2010 over the Army's UXO Standardized Test sites at the Yuma Proving Ground YPG in Arizona and at the Aberdeen Proving Ground APG in Maryland have produced reasonable and generally repeatable results for many UXO items buried at different orientations and depths. In February-March 2011 ALLTEM data was acquired at two locations on the Camp Stanley Storage Activity CSSA just north of San Antonio, Texas. Camp Stanley is used to store munitions as well as test, fire, and overhaul munitions components. Site B-20 is an open burn/open detonation OBOD area and Site B-27 consists of narrow trenches blasted into limestone containing buried range and munitions debris and possibly MEC. The processing, analysis, and classification techniques developed at the controlled environments of YPG and APG have been applied to these two "live" sites at Camp Stanley. ALLTEM data analysis includes both classical numerical inversion of data from each anomaly and clustering of the raw data by means of a self-organizing map SOM via generalized neural network algorithms. Final classification consists of an integration of both the numerical and SOM results. ?? 2011 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts↗
USGS2011

Multi-channel analysis of surface waves MASW of models with high shear-wave velocity contrast

We use the multi-channel analysis of surface waves MASW method to analyze synthetic seismic data calculated using models with high shear-wave velocity Vs contrast. The MASW dispersion-curve images of the Rayleigh wave are obtained using various sets of source-offset and spread-size configurations from the synthetic seismic data and compared with the theoretically calculated fundamental- and higher-mode dispersion-curves. Such tests showed that most of the dispersion-curve images are dominated by higher-mode energy at the low frequencies, especially when analyzing data from long receiver offsets and thus significantly divert from numerically expected dispersion-curve trends, which can lead to significant Vs overestimation. Further analysis showed that using data with relatively short spread lengths and source offsets can image the desired fundamental-mode of the Rayleigh wave that matches the numerically expected dispersion-curve pattern. As a result, it was concluded that it might be possible to avoid higher-mode contamination at low frequencies at sites with high Vs contrast by appropriate selection of spread size and seismic source offset. ?? 2011 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts↗
USGS2011

Near-surface shear-wave velocity measurements in unlithified sediment

S-wave velocity can be directly correlated to material stiffness and lithology making it a valuable physical property that has found uses in construction, engineering, and environmental projects. This study compares different methods for measuring S-wave velocities, investigating and identifying the differences among the methods' results, and prioritizing the different methods for optimal S-wave use at the U. S. Army's Yuma Proving Grounds YPG. Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves MASW and S-wave tomography were used to generate S-wave velocity profiles. Each method has advantages and disadvantages. A strong signal-to-noise ratio at the study site gives the MASW method promising resolution. S-wave first arrivals are picked on impulsive sledgehammer data which were then used for the tomography process. Three-component downhole seismic data were collected in-line with a locking geophone, providing ground truth to compare the data and to draw conclusions about the validity of each data set. Results from these S-wave measurement techniques are compared with borehole seismic data and with lithology data from continuous samples to help ascertain the accuracy, and therefore applicability, of each method. This study helps to select the best methods for obtaining S-wave velocities for media much like those found in unconsolidated sediments at YPG. ?? 2011 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts↗
USGS2011

Rock formation characterization for CO2-EOR and carbon geosequestration; 3D seismic amplitude and coherency anomalies, Wellington Field, Kansas, USA

In this paper, we present a workflow for a Mississipian carbonates characterization case-study integrating post-stack seismic attributes, well-logs porosities, and seismic modeling to explore relating changes in small-scale "lithofacies" properties and/or sub-seismic resolution faulting to key amplitude and coherency 3D seismic attributes. The main objective of this study is to put emphasis on reservoir characterization that is both optimized for and subsequently benefiting from pilot tertiary CO2-EOR in preparation for future carbon geosequestration in a depleting reservoir and a deep saline aquifer. The extracted 3D seismic coherency attribute indicated anomalous features that can be interpreted as a lithofacies change or a sub-seismic resolution faulting. A 2D finite difference modeling has been undertaken to understand and potentially build discriminant attributes to map structural and/or lithofacies anomalies of interest especially when embarking upon CO2-EOR and/or carbon sequestration monitoring and management projects. ?? 2011 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts↗
USGS2011

Imaging using cross-hole seismoelectric tomography

We propose a new cross-hole imaging approach based on seismoelectric conversions associated with the transmission of seismic waves from seismic sources located in a borehole to receivers electrodes located in a second borehole. The seismoelectric seismic-to-electric problem is solved using Biot theory coupled with a generalized Ohm's law with an electrokinetic coupling term. The components of the displacement of the solid phase, the fluid pressure, and the electrical potential are solved using a finite element approach with PML boundary conditions for the seismic waves and boundary conditions mimicking an infinite material for the electrostatic problem. We have developed an inversion algorithm using the electrical disturbances recorded in the second borehole to localize the position of the heterogeneities responsible for the seismoelectric conversions. Because of the ill-posed nature of the inverse problem, regularization is used to constrain the solution at each time in the seismoelectric time window comprised between the time of the seismic shot and the time of the first arrival of the seismic waves in the second borehole. All the inverted volumetric current source densities are stacked to produce an image of the position of the heterogeneities between the two boreholes. Two simple synthetic case studies are presented to test this concept. The first case study corresponds to a vertical discontinuity between two homogeneous sub-domains. The second case study corresponds to a poroelastic inclusion embedded into an homogenous poroelastic formation. In both cases, the position of the heterogeneity is fairly well-recovered using only the electrical disturbances associated with the seismoelectric conversions. ?? 2011 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts↗
USGS2011

Recovery and reprocessing of legacy geophysical data from the archives of the State Company of Geology and Mining (GEOSURV) of Iraq and Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC)

Aeromagnetic data belonging to the State Company of Geology and Mining of Iraq (GEOSURV) have been recovered from magnetic tapes and early paper maps. In 1974 a national airborne survey was flown by the French firm Compagnie General de Geophysique (CGG). Following the survey the magnetic data were stored on magnetic tapes within an air conditioned archive run by GEOSURV. In 1990, the power supply to the archive was cut resulting in the present‐day poor condition of the tapes. Frontier Processing Company and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have been able to recover over 99 percent of the original digital data from the CGG tapes. Preliminary reprocessing of the data yielded a total magnetic field anomaly map that reveals fine structures not evident in available published maps. Successful restoration of these comprehensive, high quality digital datasets obviates the need to resurvey the entire country, thereby saving considerable time and money. These data were delivered to GEOSURV in a standard format for further analysis and interpretation. A parallel effort by GETECH concentrated on recovering the legacy gravity data from the original field data sheets archived by IPC (Iraq Petroleum Company). These data have been compiled with more recent GEOSURV sponsored surveys thus allowing for the first time a comprehensive digital and unified national gravity database to be constructed with full principal facts. Figure 1 shows the final aeromagnetic and gravity data coverage of Iraq. The only part of Iraq lacking gravity and aeromagnetic data coverage is the mountainous areas of the Kurdish region of northeastern Iraq. Joint interpretation of the magnetic and gravity data will help guide future geophysical investigations by GEOSURV, whose ultimate aim is to discover economical mineral and energy resources.

SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts↗
USGS2012

Near-surface, marine seismic-reflection data defines potential hydrogeologic confinement bypass in a tertiary carbonate aquifer, southeastern Florida

Approximately 210 km of near-surface, high-frequency, marine seismic-reflection data were acquired on the southeastern part of the Florida Platform between 2007 and 2011. Many high-resolution, seismic-reflection profiles, interpretable to a depth of about 730 m, were collected on the shallow-marine shelf of southeastern Florida in water as shallow as 1 m. Landward of the present-day shelf-margin slope, these data image middle Eocene to Pleistocene strata and Paleocene to Pleistocene strata on the Miami Terrace. This high-resolution data set provides an opportunity to evaluate geologic structures that cut across confining units of the Paleocene to Oligocene-age carbonate rocks that form the Floridan aquifer system.Seismic profiles image two structural systems, tectonic faults and karst collapse structures, which breach confining beds in the Floridan aquifer system. Both structural systems may serve as pathways for vertical groundwater flow across relatively low-permeability carbonate strata that separate zones of regionally extensive high-permeability rocks in the Floridan aquifer system. The tectonic faults occur as normal and reverse faults, and collapse-related faults have normal throw. The most common fault occurrence delineated on the reflection profiles is associated with karst collapse structures. These high-frequency seismic data are providing high quality structural analogs to unprecedented depths on the southeastern Florida Platform. The analogs can be used for assessment of confinement of other carbonate aquifers and the sealing potential of deeper carbonate rocks associated with reservoirs around the world.

Florida↗