Probing the subsurface karst features using time-frequency decomposition

Abstract

The high-resolution mapping of karst features is of great importance to hydrocarbon discovery and recovery in the resource exploration field. Currently, however, there are few effective methods specifically tailored for such a task. The 3D seismic data can reveal the existence of karsts to some extent, but a precise characterization cannot be obtained. I have developed an effective framework for accurately probing the subsurface karst features using a well-developed time-frequency decomposition algorithm. More specifically, I have introduced a frequency interval analysis approach for obtaining the best karsts detection result using an optimal frequency interval. A high-resolution time-frequency transform was preferred in the proposed framework to capture the inherent frequency components hidden behind the amplitude map. Although the single-frequency slice could not provide a reliable karst depiction result, the summation over the selected frequency interval could obtain a high-resolution and high-fidelity delineation of subsurface karsts. I used a publicly available 3D field seismic data set as an example to indicate the performance of the proposed method.