Fault geometric and seismic attributes – an integrated study with focus on the Barents Sea

A full fault analysis assessing the influences of faults on (hydrocarbon) prospects and fluid communication includes analysis of the fault geometry, the fault architecture and segment linkage, assessment of petrophysical properties as well as establishment of the time-related geological development. It is also crucial to realize that faults are three-dimensional rock bodies, rather than surfaces (Chester and Logan, 1986; Caine et al., 1996; Gabrielsen and Braathen, 2014; Gabrielsen et al., 2016a). Basic data for such study are commonly derived from seismic interpretation and drilling, although studies that combine dedicated fault imaging (Lindanger et al., 2004; Botter et al., 2014) and field data (e.g. Walsh and Watterson, 1991; Childs et al., 2009; Davatzes and Aydin, 2005; Bastesen et al., 2013; Gabrielsen et al., 2016a) has lately become feasible. It is therefore necessary to enhance the tools and capacity for utilizing reflection seismic data in fault analysis, particularly because inaccurate interpretation and mapping of faults could cause incorrect trap definition, leading to the drilling of dry wells and causing misinterpretation of influence of faults on fluid transport. Research efforts by the seismic community have focused much on the use of advanced algorithms (e.g. Chopra and Marfurt, 2007), but has to a lesser extent utilized results from outcrop studies of faults carried out by structural geologists.