Use of prestack depth migration for improving the accuracy of horizontal drilling in unconventional reservoirs

Abstract

Depth imaging has long been a staple in offshore processing sequences; however, conventional wisdom often dictates that prestack depth migration is unnecessary in the onshore, geologically benign settings encountered in most unconventional shale reservoirs. Using examples from the Anadarko Basin, we demonstrate that careful depth imaging using updated processing flows yields significant benefits when compared to time imaging.