A flexible method to model fault displacement based on Vector Field Shape Deformation applied to kinematically consistent modeling.

Gabriel Godefroy and Guillaume Caumon and Mary Ford and Gautier Laurent. ( 2015 )
in: 35th Gocad Meeting - 2015 RING Meeting, ASGA

Abstract

Faults are generally poorly imaged on seismic data, leading to under-constrained geological models. This paper presents a fault operator based on the Vector Field Shape Deformation (VFSD) method, which aims to introduce more kinematic concepts into the 3D modeling of faults. The fault operator includes a displacement vector field deforming horizons in a kinematically compatible way (backward or forward). The VFSD method ensures that the deformation is reversible and does not introduce intersections. The operator extrapolates a discontinuous vector field within a canonical fault space, so that non-planar faults can be taken into account. The operator is applied forward for modeling and backward for restoration. The displacement vector field is set tangential to the fault surface. The intensity of the displacement is maximum at the fault center and decreases to the ellipsoidal envelope of the fault volume. The displacement decrease is described by three attenuation profiles (along strike, across strike and down dip). The parametric flexibility of this operator is demonstrated by building a kinematically consistent reservoir model from seismic data. This fault modeling tool can be used to account for kinematic concepts while modeling poorly imaged faults, which provides an opportunity to better understand fault deformation.

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BibTeX Reference

@inproceedings{GodefroyGM2015,
 abstract = { Faults are generally poorly imaged on seismic data, leading to under-constrained geological models. This paper presents a fault operator based on the Vector Field Shape Deformation (VFSD) method, which aims to introduce more kinematic concepts into the 3D modeling of faults. The fault operator includes a displacement vector field deforming horizons in a kinematically compatible way (backward or forward). The VFSD method ensures that the deformation is reversible and does not introduce intersections. The operator extrapolates a discontinuous vector field within a canonical fault space, so that non-planar faults can be taken into account. The operator is applied forward for modeling and backward for restoration. The displacement vector field is set tangential to the fault surface. The intensity of the displacement is maximum at the fault center and decreases to the ellipsoidal envelope of the fault volume. The displacement decrease is described by three attenuation profiles (along strike, across strike and down dip). The parametric flexibility of this operator is demonstrated by building a kinematically consistent reservoir model from seismic data. This fault modeling tool can be used to account for kinematic concepts while modeling poorly imaged faults, which provides an opportunity to better understand fault deformation. },
 author = { Godefroy, Gabriel AND Caumon, Guillaume AND Ford, Mary AND Laurent, Gautier },
 booktitle = { 35th Gocad Meeting - 2015 RING Meeting },
 publisher = { ASGA },
 title = { A flexible method to model fault displacement based on Vector Field Shape Deformation applied to kinematically consistent modeling. },
 year = { 2015 }
}