Seismic reprocessing and interpretation of a fractured-basement play: Texas Panhandle

Abstract

The Panhandle-Hugoton field, of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, is a giant oil field and is the largest conventional gas field in North America. Most hydrocarbon production in this field comes from the Wichita Uplift area, where the basement is the most shallow. Although the field has been extensively produced, many local hydrocarbon accumulations have not been fully exploited. Recent drilling activity in the survey indicates that some wells produce directly from basement fractures, suggesting a new play type for the area. Because the target is shallow, the seismic data are heavily contaminated by coherent noise, such as ground roll and head waves, creating challenges for seismic processing. To improve the seismic interpretation, we carefully reprocessed the field gathers resulting in improved correlation within the sedimentary and the basement sections. Correlating well control to seismic attribute volumes indicates that a fractured basement gives rise to lower P-wave impedance and strong amplitude versus azimuth anomalies. The azimuthal anisotropy is strongest in a direction parallel to the regional maximum horizontal stress, suggesting that these fractures are open. Coherence anomalies indicate a rugose basement surface, whereas curvature shows two lineament sets, consistent with the weathering and fractured exposure of basement in the Wichita Mountains to the southeast.