Amoco Corporation

The Standard Oil Company

Standard Oil Company (now Amoco Corporation)

Standard Oil Company (indiana), Now Amoco Corp.

Richard M Alford

Leon A Thomsen

Carl H Sondergeld

Chandra S Rai

John H Bodine

James H Wright

Jonathan Bork

Heloise B Lynn

A method and system for geophysical exploration including obtaining, processing, displaying and interpreting seismic data. Seismic energy is imparted into the earth'subterranean formation along at least two linear independent lines of action in a seismic survey. At least two linearly independent components of the seismic wave energy imparted along each line of action are detected within the seismic survey. A concord of seismic signals is produced from the seismic wave energy detected for selected combinations of receiver and source locations. An orientation module operates on the concord of the seismic signals so as to generate synthetic concords of seismic signals so as to focus on a particular component of the seismic wave energy in order to infer the geologic characteristics of the earth's subterranean formations.

Multisource multireceiver method and system for geophysical exploration

A method and system for geophysical exploration including obtaining, processing, displaying and interpreting seismic data. Seismic energy is imparted into the earth's subterranean formation along at least two linear independent lines of action in a seismic survey. At least two linearly independent components of the seismic wave energy imparted along each line of action are detected within the seismic survey. A concord of seismic signals is produced from the seismic wave energy detected for selected combinations of receiver and source locations. An orientation module operates on the concord of the seismic signals so as to generate synthetic concords of seismic signals so as to focus on a particular component of the seismic wave energy in order to infer the geologic characteristics of the earth's subterranean formations.

A method and system for geophysical exploration including processing, displaying and interpreting seismic data. A concord of seismic signals is produced from the seismic wave energy detected for selected combinations of receiver and source locations. A rotation module operates on the concord of the seismic signals so as to generate diagonalized concords of seismic signals so as to focus on a particular component of the seismic wave energy in order to infer the geologic characteristics of the earth's subterranean formations. Additionally, measures of rotation angles necessary to diagonalize the concord of seismic signals can be obtained and displayed overlayed on the diagonalized concord of seismic signals or independently.

Method for geophysical exploration

A novel method for detecting and measuring elastic anisotropy in a sample of the earth's formations is provided. A dyad of time series signal representative of the sample's response to imparted shear waves is recorded. The dyad of time series signals can then be processed to detect and measure elastic anisotropy in the sample. More particularly, the dyad of time series signals are collected by imparting shear waves having first and second polarizations into the samples with a shear wave transducer and recording the sample's response to each of the imparted shear waves by shear wave transducers having first and second polarizations. In one embodiment of the invention, the dyad of time series signals can be diagonalized to detect and measure elastic anisotropy in the sample. In another embodiment, the dyad of time series signals can be processed for a plurality of rotation angles and the resulting rotated dyad of time series signals can be displayed to detect and measure elastic anisotropy in the sample.

Method and apparatus for detecting and measuring elastic anisotropy

Polarized shear wave surveys are performed to determine azimuthal variations in the earth's subsurface caused by fracture orientation and density. The surveys may be done by using the same polarization (either horizontal or vertical) shear waves along two different seismic lines of profile, or by using different polarization shear waves along one common line of profile. The survey data are then processed and compared; any differences constitute a measure of fracture orientation and density. Subsurface zones of high fracture density, once identified, have been found to afford a higher likelihood of successful well completion.

Seismic surveying technique for the detection of azimuthal variations in

The present invention generally relates to a method of seismic exploration. In particular, a novel method of obtaining a vertical seismic profile of the earth's subterranean formation surrounding a well borehole with a horizontally direct swept frequency vibrator and a multicomponent sonde is provided. Additionally, a method is provided to azimuthally align the geophones of the multicomponent sonde having horizontal axes.

Method of vertical seismic profiling and exploration

A method for quantitatively distinguishing seismic events on a seismic record for inferring changes in the geological character of the subterranean formations. Reflection coefficients are obtained for such seismic events and a first set of attributes indicative of amplitude variations in the offset seismic signals corresponding to the seismic event as a function of incident angle are obtained therefrom. The first set of attributes provide a seismologist with a diagnostic tool for quantitatively evaluating subtle changes in the seismic event. A second set of attributes which are functions of the first set of attributes provide the seismologist with additional diagnostic tools for evaluating subtle changes in the seismic events.

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Broken Arrow, OK, United States of America

Richard M Alford