Quantitative differences between 2D and 3D seismic data in the High Island East Addition, Gulf of Mexico

The two main types of seismic surveys, are 20 seismic and 30 seismic. A 30 survey is generally more reliable; however, it may not always be feasible to acquire. Some advantages of 30 seismic data over their 20 counterpart are clearer fault interpretation, and improved structural and stratigraphic imaging. The focus of this study is to quantify any differences seen when comparing a 20 seismic interpretation to a 30 seismic interpretation in the same area. To quantify interpretation differences between 20 and 30 seismic, the study used the Golden project demo data set from the Seismic Micro-Technology (SMT) Kingdom suite.;20 lines are interpreted for structural and stratigraphic information. Time and amplitude maps are gridded for each of the four horizons and used to create a 30 surface. Horizons are transferred to the 30 data set and interpreted. 20 maps were subtracted from the 30 maps to show time, amplitude, and fault differences. Differences considered in fault analysis include: position errors, time structure and throw differences. With depth the differences between the 20 seismic interpretation and the 30 interpretation increase. In general, as the faults decrease in size the differences between the interpretations increase.