Thickness estimation using gradient of spectral amplitude from spectral decomposition

Tri Wuri Asri Sulistyoati* , Lita Novitasari, and Sonny Winardhi, Geophysical Engineering Program, Faculty of
Mining and Petroleum Engineering, Bandung Institute of Technology
Summary:
This paper presents a novel approach for estimating thin bed
thickness by using gradient of spectral amplitudes resulting
from spectral decomposition. The gradient is calculated
from the differences between amplitudes spectrum at two
adjacent frequencies. The technique is based on the concept
that seismic reflections from a thin bed have characteristic
signatures in the frequency domain. Thicker beds have
shorter period of spectral notches than thinner beds have.
Consequently, steeper gradients of spectral amplitude
representing thicker beds and lower gradients representing
thinner beds. In this paper, the Discrete Fourier Transform
(DFT) method is used for spectral decomposition. The
application of the technique for mapping thin bed thickness
distribution is presented. The gradient of spectral amplitude
has been found to have better correlation to thickness than
the conventional spectral amplitude to thickness.

There is no direct relationship between the value of

amplitude spectrum at certain frequencies and bed thickness.
However, as it can be seen in Fig.2, the reverse relationship
between temporal thickness to periods of notches in the
amplitude spectrum with respect to frequency implies that
steeper and lower gradients of spectral amplitude represents
thicker and thinner beds respectively.

Introduction:
Partyka (1999) introduced spectral decomposition method as
a way of analyzing thin beds characteristics in the frequency
domain. A short time window of seismic trace is
transformed to the frequency domain using the Discrete
Fourier Transform (DFT) to produce amplitude and phase
spectra. The phase spectrum contains information about
continuity and discontinuity in the data, while the amplitude
spectrum gives information related to thickness of the beds.
In the frequency domain, the convolution theory dictates
that the spectrum of the seismic trace is a multiplication of
the reflectivity and the wavelet spectra. The resulting
spectrum, as depicted in Fig.1, is therefore a modified
version of the thin beds reflectivity spectrum that has been
overprinted by the wavelet spectrum. Partyka (1999) has
also shown that the wavelet overprint can be significantly
removed by spectral normalization to produce a better shape
of thin beds reflectivity spectrum.
The thin beds reflectivity spectrum contains a series of
humps with distance between spectral peaks or notches is
reversely related to temporal thickness of the bed (Partyka,
1999).
1
(1)
f
t
where f = period of notches in the amplitude spectrum with
respect to frequency (Hz)
t = temporal thickness (s)

Figure 1: The convolution model between reflectivity and wavelet

in short time window (Partyka, 1999)

Based on this recognition, a new methodology to estimate

bed thickness using gradient of amplitude spectrum resulting
from spectral decomposition is proposed.

Thickness estimation using gradient amplitude of spectral decomposition

1. Interpretation of Markers
Information of markers from well data is interpereted by
using log correlation among wells.
2. Thickness Calculation
The thickness of sand unit is calculated from markers
data. The map below (Fig.4) shows the location of wells
used in this study and the corresponding value of bed
thickness in feet. Well STL-5 which probes the thickest
layer of sand unit and the nearby well STL-6 which has
the thinnest layer give a special challenge on the
applicability of the proposed method.

Figure 2: Amplitude Spectrum vs Frequency (modified from

Partyka, 1999)

Where

y
x

(2)

m = gradient
y = difference of amplitude
x = interval of frequency

Methodology :
In this study, spectral decomposition is used in combination
with well data to provide thickness information. The
gradient of spectral amplitude is calculated from the
differences of amplitude spectrum between two adjacent
frequencies. The workflow shown in Fig.3 depicts the
combination of spectral decomposition results and well data
to generate thickness map.

Figure 4: Map of sand thickness for various wells in feet

3. Seismic Interpretation
The sand layer under study is relatively thin with respect
to the seismic data resolution. Therefore, only one
horizon which is tied to top of the sand beds is
interpreted (after tying seismic to all the available
wells).
4. Spectral Decomposition
Application of the spectral decomposition using DFT on
the poststack seismic data window centered at the
horizon of interest give result the decomposed seismic
volume in frequency domain which is called the tuning
cube volume. A section of the resulting tuning cube is
shown in Figs.5.
a)

Figure 3: The flowchart of thickness mapping using well data (bed

thickness) and gradient of spectral amplitude from spectral
decomposition results (slice of amplitude spectrum difference)

Thickness estimation using gradient amplitude of spectral decomposition

b)

b)

c)
Figure 5: (a) A section of the resulting tuning cube with
frequency indexed in the vertical direction after running
spectral decomposition. (b) The zoom-in version of this section
shows the effect of the wavelet overprint discussed in the text

5. Slicing of Frequency
The tuning cube is then sliced at certain frequencies and
each slice is normalized to remove the effect of wavelet
overprint. The normalized slices are shown in Fig.6b
and 6c.
6. Gradient of Spectral Amplitude Calculation
The gradient of amplitude spectrum is calculated from
the absolute differences between those two slices. The
resulting gradient should now be related to bed
thickness.
7. Correlation between thickness and gradient of
spectral amplitude
The relationship between the gradient of amplitude
spectrum and bed thickness at well locations can now be
determined by cross-plotting. Figure 6a shows positive
linear correlation between well thickness and the
gradient of amplitude spectrum, while Fig.6b and 6c
show negative linear correlation between thickness and
spectral amplitude. It can be observed that the gradient
of amplitude spectrum give a much better correlation to
thickness than the conventional amplitude spectrum to
thickness.
a)

Figure 6: Cross plot between net thickness versus (a) difference

of amplitude spectrum (20 Hz - 24 Hz), (b) spectral amplitude
at 20 Hz, (c) spectral amplitude at 24 Hz

8. Thickness Mapping
Figure 7a is a map of bed thickness produced by using
regression between well data and amplitude spectrum
difference (20 Hz 24 Hz). The direction of sand
distribution is north south, shown by reddish color. It
can be seen from this map that the difference in sand
thickness found in well STL-5 and STL-6 can now be
better traced and a new propose well location can be
attained at the highest sand thickness.
a)

Thickness estimation using gradient amplitude of spectral decomposition

b)

c)

Discussion of Results/Conclusions
In spectral decomposition, the relationship between the
gradient of spectral amplitude to bed thickness is the direct
consequence of the fact that thicker beds have shorter period
of spectral notches - hence steeper gradient - than thinner
beds have. Application of the spectral decomposition
technique to stacked seismic section using the gradient of
spectral amplitude shows better correlation to bed thickness
than the conventional slices of amplitude spectrum. The
gradient of spectral amplitude shows positive linear
correlation to bed thickness, while the conventional spectral
amplitude shows negative correlation. Experiments also
show that the gradient of spectral amplitude at low
frequencies give better correlation to bed thickness than at
high frequencies. This is due to the fact that the removal of
wavelet overprint by spectral normalization performed
better in low frequencies than in high frequencies. The
strong correlation of the spectral amplitude gradient to bed
thickness ensures the applicability of the proposed technique
for mapping bed thickness distribution. This
novel
technique has succesfully been used to map the distribution
of bed thickness in one of the oil fields in Indonesia.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank to the Faculty of Mining
and Petroleum Engineering at the Bandung Institute of
Technology for the computing facilities. Support and helps
from assistants in the Seismic Laboratory at the Geophysical
Engineering Program is unforgettable.

Figure 7: (a) Map showing the distribution of sandstone, (b) 20

Hz spectral amplitude, (c) 24 Hz spectral amplitude