WELL

(LOG) SYNTHETIC
SEISMOGRAMS AND TIES TO SEISMIC

WELL SEISMIC TIES

Time (ms)

Time

Courtesy of ExxonMobil

Depth

Synthetic Trace

(from Fred W. Schroeder, AAPG)

L 7 Well-Seismic 2

OBJECTIVES OF WELL SEISMIC TIE

Well-seismic <es allow well data,
measured in units of depth, to be
compared to seismic data, measured in
units of <me

Synthetic Trace

This allows us to relate horizon tops

iden<ed in a well with specic
reec<ons on the seismic sec<on
We use sonic and density well logs to
generate a synthe<c seismic trace
The synthe<c trace is compared to the
real seismic data collected near the
well loca<on

L 7 Well-Seismic 3

Courtesy of ExxonMobil

(from Fred W. Schroeder, AAPG)

MEASUREMENTS IN TIME AND DEPTH

Seismic - Time Units

SHOT

REC R

Kelly Bushing
Elevation

L 7 Well-Seismic 4

Depth

Two-way time

Base of
Weathering

Courtesy of ExxonMobil

Vertical depth

Surface
Elevation

Log - Depth Units

(from Fred W. Schroeder, AAPG)

COMPARISON OF SEISMIC TO WELL DATA

Seismic Data

Well Data
Samples point along well bore

Low frequency 5 - 60 Hz

High frequency, 10,000 - 20,000 Hz

Vertical resolution 15 - 100 m

Vertical resolution 2 cm - 2 m

Horizontal resolution 150 - 1000 m

Horizontal resolution 0.5 cm - 6 m

Measures seismic amplitude,

phase, continuity, horizontal &
vertical velocities

Measures vertical velocity, density,

resistivity, radioactivity, SP, rock
and fluid properties from cores

Time measurement

Depth measurement

L 7 Well-Seismic 5

100 m

100 m

Samples area and volume

Courtesy of ExxonMobil

(from Fred W. Schroeder, AAPG)

SEISMIC-WELL TIE FLOW CHART

Seismic
Data

Real Seismic

Data
Processing

Trace

Estimate
Source wavelet

External
Source wavelet
Well
Data

Well Well Seismic Tie

Seismic Tie

Data
Processing

Seismic
Modeling

Synthetic Seismic
Trace

Check Shots/
Time Depth
Information
L 7 Well-Seismic 6

Courtesy of ExxonMobil

(from Fred W. Schroeder, AAPG)

CHECK SHOT DATA

Used to determine start time of

top of well-log curves

Used to calibrate the

relationship between well
depths and times calculated
from a sonic log

L 7 Well-Seismic 7

Courtesy of ExxonMobil

Time

Seismic Shot

Depth

Check shots measure the vertical

one-way time from surface to
various depths (geophone
positions) within the well

Borehole
Geophone

(from Fred W. Schroeder, AAPG)

PULSE TYPES

TYING SYNTHETIC TO SEISMIC DATA

Synthetic Trace

Time (ms)

Reference datum of synthetic to seismic

data (usually ground level or seismic
datum)
Without check shots estimate start time
of first bed

L 7 Well-Seismic 9

Courtesy of ExxonMobil

(from Fred W. Schroeder, AAPG)

TYING SYNTHETIC TO SEISMIC DATA

Synthetic Trace

Shift synthetic in time to get the best

character tie
Use stratigraphic info on detailed plot
to help
determine the best fit.

L 7 Well-Seismic 10

Courtesy of ExxonMobil

Time (ms)

Reference datum of synthetic to seismic

data (usually ground level or seismic
datum)
Without check shots estimate start time
of first bed

(from Fred W. Schroeder, AAPG)

TYING SYNTHETIC TO SEISMIC DATA

Synthetic Trace

Character tie is more important than

time tie
We can use a cross-correlation
coefficient as a measure of the
quality of the character tie

L 7 Well-Seismic 11

Courtesy of ExxonMobil

Time (ms)

If justified, shift synthetic laterally

several traces to get the best character
tie

(from Fred W. Schroeder, AAPG)

TYING SYNTHETIC TO SEISMIC DATA

Accept the tie that yields best

character tie with least time
shift in the zone of interest
(reservoir)

The top of the reservoir

should be mapped on this
peak (red)

L 7 Well-Seismic 12

Courtesy of ExxonMobil

(from Fred W. Schroeder, AAPG)

POSSIBLE PITFALLS

Error in well or seismic line location

Log data quality

washout zones, drilling-fluid invasion effects

Seismic data quality

noise, multiples, amplitude gain, migration, etc

Incorrect pulse
Polarity, frequency, and phase
Try a different pulse; use extracted pulse

Incorrect 1-D model

Blocked logs, checkshots need further editing
Incorrect start time or improper datuming
Amplitude-Versus-Offset effects
Bed tuning

3-D effects not fully captured by seismic or well data

L 7 Well-Seismic 13

Courtesy of ExxonMobil

(from Fred W. Schroeder, AAPG)

PROBLEMS WITH SONIC

(DON BURCH, 2002)

EXCERSICE

HOW A SYNTHETIC SEISMIC TRACE IS GENERATED

Your task is to take a well (the Zablotny #1) drilled in the Li\le Knife Oil Field in the Williston Basin and <e
this to a North South seismic line across this eld. To achieve the la\er a synthe<c seismic trace had be
generated for the Zablotny #1.
Using this velocity informa<on and density data supplied, geophysicists generated a velocity log that
1) Expresses the ver<cal measurements made at the well as two way travel <me.
2) Calculated the ver<cal varia<on in the reec<on coecients from one acous<c layer to another.
a) These reec<on coecients measure the dierence in acous<c impedance between rock layers as the
ra<o of reected sound energy to incident sound energy (intensity) at a reec<ng surface, i.e. a surface
separa<ng two media of diering acous<c impedances, Z' and Z''.
b) The ra<o R is calculated using the formula R=(Z''-Z')/(Z''+Z').
c) Seismic impedance is the product of density and seismic velocity, and varies between dierent rock
layers, being commonly symbolized by Z.
3) A zero phase, normal polarity Ricker wavelet, was convolved with the reec<on coecients to produce
the synthe<c seismic trace beside the two way travel <me log model for the Zablonty #1.
4) Finally the geophysicists, consul<ng with geologists, established the ver<cal posi<on of the stra<graphic
tops penetrated by the Zablotny #1.