Maximum Likelihood Deconvolution for sequence analysis and improved structural resolution in the Vindhyan Basin, India

Exploration in the Proterozoic Vindhyan Basin in the north-central part of India has received much attention because a number of basins coeval to it (Amadeus and McArthur basins, Australia and Lena–Tunguska petroleum province, Siberia) are known hydrocarbon producers. The assemblage of interbedded clastics and carbonates in the thick Vindhyan sedimentary column is considered to be favourable for a petroleum system. This is supported by discovery of oil and gas in Vindhyan sediments.

Wavelet processing and application of Maximum Likelihood Deconvolution (MLD) to post-stack seismic data have enhanced resolution significantly to facilitate identification of various stratigraphic features, including reflection pattern termination in the Jabera–Damoh area in the southeastern part of the basin. Sixteen seismic sequences correlatable with well data have been identified from the wavelet-processed data. MLD has also improved structural resolution and made identification of faults easier. This paper shows that MLD is a powerful tool for seismic sequence stratigraphy.