A Stratigraphic Prediction Method Based on Machine Learning

Abstract

Simulation of a geostratigraphic unit is of vital importance for the study of geoinformatics, as well as geoengineering planning and design. A traditional method depends on the guidance of expert experience, which is subjective and limited, thereby making the effective evaluation of a stratum simulation quite impossible. To solve this problem, this study proposes a machine learning method for a geostratigraphic series simulation. On the basis of a recurrent neural network, a sequence model of the stratum type and a sequence model of the stratum thickness is successively established. The performance of the model is improved in combination with expert-driven learning. Finally, a machine learning model is established for a geostratigraphic series simulation, and a three-dimensional (3D) geological modeling evaluation method is proposed which considers the stratum type and thickness. The results show that we can use machine learning in the simulation of a series. The series model based on machine learning can describe the real situation at wells, and it is a complimentary tool to the traditional 3D geological model. The prediction ability of the model is improved to a certain extent by including expert-driven learning. This study provides a novel approach for the simulation and prediction of a series by 3D geological modeling.