Joint inversion of multi-component seismic data: application to Bakken petroleum exploration and development

The Reservoir Characterization Project (RCP) at Colorado School of Mines acquired the rights to a 9C, 3D seismic survey in Mountrail County, North Dakota with specific focus on how multi-component seismic data could aid in exploration and development of the Bakken Shale (Figure 1). Proximity to the giant Parshall Field made the survey particularly attractive as operators in the Bakken wanted to find if additional value could be created by acquiring multi-component seismic data in this major unconventional resource play.