TUNING EFFECTS,LITHOLOGICAL EFFECTS AND DEPOSITIONAL EFFECTS IN THE SEISMIC RESPONSE OF GAS RESERVOIRS*

Synergism of 3-D seismic data, wavelet processing, colour display and interactive interpretation has been exploited in the study of a Gulf of Mexico gas reservoir. Seismic amplitude has been used as a measure of the proportion of a sand/shale reservoir capable of producing gas. This has led to the mapping of net producible thickness of gas sand. The tuning phenomena resulting from geometric effects alone were studied in detail, and tuning curves of various levels of sophistication were used as the basis for amplitude editing. Statistical tuning curves were derived by interactive cross-plotting and deterministic curves by wavelet extraction. Multiple wavelet side lobes cause multiple maxima in the tuning curve. Depositional effects and intrareservoir communication have also been studied by interactive cross-plotting.