| Sequence stratigraphy is a methodology widely used by oil companies in the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons. The SEDPAK program it a two-dimensional, forward stratigraphic simulation that enables geologists to develop and test sequence stratigraphic models during interpretation of seismic and well data. The simulation program is designed to model and reconstruct siliciclastic and carbonate sediment geometries that are produced as a response to changing rates of tectonic movement, eustasy and sediment supply in a variety of shelf margin settings.; The simulation was used to test the stratigraphic response to variations in the main controls of silliciclastic stratigraphic stacking patterns. Results indicate that the manner in which each variable affects the available accommodation determines the timing of systems tract and sequence boundary formation. Also, modeling results indicate that the development of siliciclastic stratigraphic geometries and the timing of systems tract and sequence boundaries are more sensitive to changes in sediment supply than to variations in eustasy or tectonics. In addition, timing of the sediment yield cycle was determined to be an important factor regarding the development of systems tracts within siliciclastic depositional sequences.; In order to understand the relationship between the controls of basin fill, sequence stratigraphic architecture, and the geophysical expression of stratigraphy, a technique was developed to produce synthetic well log and seismic data from SEDPAK stratigraphic models. Synthetic density, velocity, gamma ray, acoustic impedance, and 1-D and 2-D seismic responses were computed. Synthetic data derived from geophysical modeling of SEDPAK stratigraphic models provides an additional tool that can be used to constrain and test sequence stratigraphic interpretations. |
