Chevron U.s.a. Inc.

William R Volz

Luc Vincent

William Stephen Kowalik

Kevin Deal

Douglas Francis Goff

Sebastien Bombarde

Sandra Lee

Richard C Jones

A computer implemented method for interpreting faults from a fault-enhanced 3-D seismic attribute cube. The method includes the steps of extracting faults from a 3-D seismic attribute cube, and of calculating a minimum path value for each voxel of the 3-D seismic attribute cube. A fault network skeleton is extracted from the 3-D seismic attribute cube by utilizing the minimum path values which correspond to voxels within the 3-D seismic attribute cube. The individual fault networks are then labeled, and a vector description of the fault network skeleton is created. The fault network skeleton is subdivided into individual fault patches wherein the individual fault patches are the smallest, non-intersecting, non-bifurcating patches that lie on only one geologic fault. The individual fault patches are then correlated into a representation of geologic faults.

Process for interpreting faults from a fault-enhanced 3-dimensional seismic attribute volume

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Katy, TX, United States of America

William R Volz