Geophysical basin modeling: Methodology and application in deepwater Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

A truly integrated velocity model building method has been developed and applied for seismic imaging. Geophysical basin modeling is designed to mitigate seismic data limitations and constrains the velocity model building by taking advantage of information provided by geologic and geophysical input. The information from geologic concepts and understanding is quantified using basin model simulations to model primary control fields for rock properties, temperature, and effective stress. Transformation of the basin model fields to velocity is made by universally calibrated rock models. Applications show that high-quality seismic images are produced in areas of geologic complexity, where it is challenging to define these properties from seismic data alone. This multidisciplinary operation is of high value in exploration because it offers a significant reduction in the time and effort required to build a velocity model, while also improving the resulting image quality.