A visual data-mining methodology for seismic facies analysis: Part 1 — Testing and comparison with other unsupervised clustering methods

Abstract

Seismic facies analysis aims to identify clusters (groups) of similar seismic trace shapes, where each cluster can be considered to represent variability in lithology, rock properties, and/or fluid content of the strata being imaged. Unfortunately, it is not always clear whether the seismic data has a natural clustering structure. Cluster analysis consists of a family of approaches that have significant potential for classifying seismic trace shapes into meaningful clusters. The clustering can be performed using a supervised process (assigning a pattern to a predefined cluster) or an unsupervised process (partitioning a collection of patterns into groups without predefined clusters). We evaluate and compare different unsupervised clustering algorithms (e.g., partition, hierarchical, probabilistic, and soft competitive models) for pattern recognition based entirely on the characteristics of the seismic response. From validation results on simple data sets, we demonstrate that a self-organizing maps algorithm implemented in a visual data-mining approach outperforms all other clustering algorithms for interpreting the cluster structure. We apply this approach to 2D seismic models generated using a discrete, known number of different stratigraphic geometries. The visual strategy recovers the correct number of end-member seismic facies in the model tests, showing that it is suitable for pattern recognition in highly correlated and continuous seismic data.