Basinal variation of seismic attribute response in deepwater
architectural element recognition
Abstract
The advancement of seismic attributes and visualization techniques has
allowed the study of seismic geomorphology from 3D reflection data. The
study of deepwater deposits denes and characterizes architectural
elements depending on their genesis, morphology, and position along the
slope and basin floor. However, every individual basin’s geological
configuration determines the dimensions, morphology, and lithological
composition of its architectural elements. To understand how seismic
attributes help characterize geological settings, we employ multiple
datasets with variable qualities since few studies elaborate on
compiling and discussing the differences between basins. We explore and
compare the use of seismic attributes to highlight deepwater
architectural elements in three different basins around the world: The
Ceará Basin in Equatorial Brazil, The Taranaki Basin in New Zealand, and
The North Carnarvon Basin in Australia, focusing on the deepwater
sedimentary section in each case. Although the first two datasets are
examples of siliciclastic environments and the North Carnarvon, a mixed
carbonate-siliciclastic exponent, the architectural elements identified
in all the datasets are similar, as well as their attribute response.
The results show that the most robust attributes to characterize
deepwater elements such as incised channels, channel-levee systems, and
lobes are a combination of geometric, amplitude derived, frequency, and
textural attributes. These seismic attributes indicate morphological,
lithological, bed stacking, and help to define the stratigraphic
architecture. Moreover, we found that the co-rendering of RMS
(lithology-proxy), coherence (morphology indicator), and curvature
attributes help to define the internal configuration for most of the
deepwater architectural elements. While each basin is unique, our
results and comparisons serve as a guide for seismic interpreters to use
in deepwater seismic geomorphology characterization.