Topics in the interpretation of seismic data: I. Earthquake seismogram interpretation for the classroom. II. Gas saturation prediction and effect of low frequencies on acoustic impedance images at Foinaven Field. III. Physical reasonability and accuracy

Low frequencies are necessary in seismic data for proper acoustic impedance imaging and for petrophysical interpretation. Without lower frequencies, images can be distorted leading to incorrect reservoir interpretation and petrophysical predictions. As part of the Foinaven Active Reservoir Management (FARM) project, a Towed Streamer and Ocean Bottom Hydrophone (OBH) survey were shot in both 1995 and 1998. The OBH surveys contain lower frequencies than the streamer surveys, providing a unique opportunity to study the effects low frequencies have on both the acoustic impedance image along with petrophysical time-lapse predictions. Artifacts that could easily have been interpreted as high-resolution features in the streamer data impedance volumes can be distinguished by comparison with the impedance volumes created from the OBH surveys containing lower frequencies.; In order to obtain results from the impedance volumes, impedance must be related to saturation. The mixing of exsolved gas, oil, and water phases involves using the Reuss (uniform) or Voigt (patchy approximation) mixing laws. The Voigt average is easily misused by assuming that the end points correspond to 0% and 100% gas saturation. This implies that the patches are either 0% gas saturation or 100% gas saturation, which is never the case. Here the distribution of gas as it comes out of solution is assumed to be uniform until the gas saturation reaches a sufficiently high value (critical gas saturation) to allow gas to flow. Therefore, at low gas saturations the distribution is uniform, but at saturations above critical, it is patchy, with patches that range from critical gas saturation to the highest gas saturation possible (1 minus residual oil and irreducible water saturation).; The Xu and White method predicts a shear (S-) sonic log in a sand-clay mixture using a theoretical (Kuster-Toksoz) model to embed pores with aspect ratios that provide a best-fit to a known compressional (P-) sonic log. In the Xu and White method, they assume that the clay bulk and shear moduli can be determined. In this paper we examine the variability in clay moduli determination using a set of well logs from Acae field, Colombia. The clay moduli are identified through a best-fit provided along with the aspect ratios. We also examine different mixing laws used to calculate the moduli of the matrix. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...