Sometimes seismic interpretation seems like the Holy Grail. There are many decisions to make and many traps that may result in a dry well, costing millions. Getting some practice with pickthis.io seems like time well spent. Here are some personal tips how to become a better interpreter.
There’s always a next big thing. You can have direct hydrocarbon indicators (DHI). You can have a Bottom-simulating Reflector (BSR). Finding these within your data is neat, but there is published material of interpreters mistaking a seafloor multiple for a flat or a BSR. A costly mistake, no one wants to explain to their manager.
Don’t get me wrong, DHI exist, but they’re advanced material. It should only be checked, when every other opportunity from the basics, like multiples, is exhausted.
Sometimes a change of perspective may be just what you need. Instead of trying to prove a play is indicated within your seismic, try to find proof against it.
Make sure it’s actually is a trap imaged in your data. Remember that from 2D data you are missing an entire dimension. That anticline may not be a trap after all.
Is there an indication for seepage, like amplitude effects or collapse structures? Exhaust the possibilities that what you’re seeing is actually what you’re looking for.
Sometimes looking at a duck too long, may result in you seeing a rabbit.
Sometimes looking at a vase too long may result in seeing faces.
Sometimes looking at chaotic structures too long, will make you see something that is not there.
Be careful, searching for certain structures and horizons may be misleading. Drink a coffee, have a chat with the others and return fresh, to see the last picks may have been the result of an overly active imagination.
Always interpret in teams. At least have someone double check your conclusion. You can always discard that opinion later, but the exchange is essential in getting the best result possible.
There’s a reason teamwork is such an important soft skill in getting hired.
It’s something I stole from the geologists and here’s my article about it. Having a photo of a rock does you no good if you don’t have something for scale next to it.
The same is true for Seismic interpretation. Know your wavelength, so you can even assume the thickness resolvable within your data. Keep an eye on your vertical exaggeration (VE) of the data. Usually, the vertical scale does not match the horizontal scale. A seismic profile is usually longer than the depth recorded. Especially when looking at different data sets, make sure the VE coincides or take it into account when making qualitative interpretations based on the correlation of those data sets.
If you have borehole data to tie your seismic into, use it to scale your data to a reliable depth model. However, seismic well ties have their own complication.
Carrots are full of Vitamin A which is beneficial to your eyesight.
However, if you need glasses, get them and wear them. Don’t let vanity get in the way of interpreting your data.
Here at The Way of the Geophysicists, we have written about social justice before. Today… Read More
This Friday we're looking at a machine learning state-of-the-art Dashboard and also a new way… Read More
It sure is an interesting time. Apologies I kept you waiting with more Friday Faves,… Read More
Aaaand it's gone. It's starting out with one of my new projects and then a… Read More
I'm starting a new project, where I take concepts from machine learning for science and… Read More
It's the holiday season, so let's keep this Friday Fave short, with a fave that… Read More