The ultimate aim of the oil exploration industry is to determine the distribution of rock types and underground fluids. At this stage, we can actually determine the distribution of several underground physical properties with a certain accuracy. The challenge for the rock physicist is to translate those physical properties (P-velocity, S-velocity, density) into rock types and fluids (gas-, or oil-, or water-bearing sand, shale). If performed correctly, dry holes can be avoided and millions of dollars can be saved. Ultimately, an integrated approach is required. This book deals with a series of topics in rock physics, including elasticity, pore pressure, incompressibility of rocks and the Gassmann equation, fluid substitution, forward modelling and empirical equations, rock physics applications to AVO studies and inversion studies, and the Differential Effective Medium (DEM) method. It is generally addressed to the practitioner (geophysicist, geologist), and in some instances, detailed instructions are furnished to perform a particular task. Some chapters, on the other hand, are theoretical and more mathematical, and are expected to be of interest to both practitioners and students alike. Other chapters include innovative ideas that could, for instance, be tested by oil companies that have substantial amounts of data at their disposal. This book will serve as a useful guide to practitioners (geologists, petrophysicists, geophysicists and reservoir engineers) and students/academics.

The ultimate aim of the oil exploration industry is to determine the distribution of rock types and underground fluids. At this stage, we can actually determine the distribution of several underground physical properties with a certain accuracy. The challenge for the rock physicist is to translate those physical properties (P-velocity, S-velocity, density) into rock types and fluids (gas-, or oil-, or water-bearing sand, shale). If performed correctly, dry holes can be avoided and millions of dollars can be saved. Ultimately, an integrated approach is required. This book deals with a series of topics in rock physics, including elasticity, pore pressure, incompressibility of rocks and the Gassmann equation, fluid substitution, forward modelling and empirical equations, rock physics applications to AVO studies and inversion studies, and the Differential Effective Medium (DEM) method. It is generally addressed to the practitioner (geophysicist, geologist), and in some instances, detailed instructions are furnished to perform a particular task. Some chapters, on the other hand, are theoretical and more mathematical, and are expected to be of interest to both practitioners and students alike. Other chapters include innovative ideas that could, for instance, be tested by oil companies that have substantial amounts of data at their disposal. This book will serve as a useful guide to practitioners (geologists, petrophysicists, geophysicists and reservoir engineers) and students/academics.

The ultimate aim of the oil exploration industry is to determine the distribution of rock types and underground fluids. At this stage, we can actually determine the distribution of several underground physical properties with a certain accuracy. The challenge for the rock physicist is to translate those physical properties (P-velocity, S-velocity, density) into rock types and fluids (gas-, or oil-, or water-bearing sand, shale). If performed correctly, dry holes can be avoided and millions of dollars can be saved. Ultimately, an integrated approach is required. This book deals with a series of topics in rock physics, including elasticity, pore pressure, incompressibility of rocks and the Gassmann equation, fluid substitution, forward modelling and empirical equations, rock physics applications to AVO studies and inversion studies, and the Differential Effective Medium (DEM) method. It is generally addressed to the practitioner (geophysicist, geologist), and in some instances, detailed instructions are furnished to perform a particular task. Some chapters, on the other hand, are theoretical and more mathematical, and are expected to be of interest to both practitioners and students alike. Other chapters include innovative ideas that could, for instance, be tested by oil companies that have substantial amounts of data at their disposal. This book will serve as a useful guide to practitioners (geologists, petrophysicists, geophysicists and reservoir engineers) and students/academics.

Exploration and characterization of conventional and unconventional reservoirs using seismic technologies are among the main activities of upstream technology groups and business units of oil and gas operators. However, these activities frequently encounter difficulties in quantitative seismic interpretation due to remaining confusion and new challenges in the fast developing field of seismic petrophysics. Seismic Petrophysics in Quantitative Interpretation shows how seismic interpretation can be made simple and robust by integration of the rock physics principles with seismic and petrophysical attributes bearing on the properties of both conventional (thickness, net/gross, lithology, porosity, permeability, and saturation) and unconventional (thickness, lithology, organic richness, thermal maturity) reservoirs. Practical solutions to existing interpretation problems in rock physics-based amplitude versus offset (AVO) analysis and inversion are addressed in the book to streamline the workflows in subsurface characterization. Although the book is aimed at oil and gas industry professionals and academics concerned with utilization of seismic data in petroleum exploration and production, it could also prove helpful for geotechnical and completion engineers and drillers seeking to better understand how seismic and sonic data can be more thoroughly utilized.

Quantitative Seismic Interpretation demonstrates how rock physics can be applied to predict reservoir parameters, such as lithologies and pore fluids, from seismically derived attributes. The authors provide an integrated methodology and practical tools for quantitative interpretation, uncertainty assessment, and characterization of subsurface reservoirs using well-log and seismic data. They illustrate the advantages of these new methodologies, while providing advice about limitations of the methods and traditional pitfalls. This book is aimed at graduate students, academics and industry professionals working in the areas of petroleum geoscience and exploration seismology. It will also interest environmental geophysicists seeking a quantitative subsurface characterization from shallow seismic data. The book includes problem sets and a case-study, for which seismic and well-log data, and MATLAB® codes are provided on a website (http://www.cambridge.org/9780521151351). These resources will allow readers to gain a hands-on understanding of the methodologies.

An accessible guide to using the rock physics-based forward modeling approach for seismic subsurface mapping, for researchers and petroleum geologists.

This book introduces practical seismic analysis techniques and evaluation of interpretation confidence, for graduate students and industry professionals - independent of commercial software products.