oa Potential fields: An effective guide for hydrocarbon exploration and development

Improving prospect assessment and field structure mapping was achieved with the guidance of specially filtered gravity and magnetic data. The potential fields data was augmented with 2-D and 3-D seismic data to analyze several case studies in the eastern Arabian Basin. New approaches were integrated involving the tectonic development of the Arabian Plate, local stress and strain partitioning that control the location, size and orientation of the hydrocarbon structure traps. Several case studies showed the success of this technique, particularly where hydrodynamic data was incorporated. Tilt-filtered gravity and magnetic data, residual gravity data with different wavelengths, and the magnetic Theta mapping filter proved to be very effective techniques for enhancing the basement shape, edges and detailed geometries. It was also observed that the basement architecture controlled the basins geometry and their filling history. Several subseismic faults with different trends were interpreted. The EW-trending fault zones appear to be strain-partitioning faults where different closures at the two sides of each fault proved to be hydrodynamically separated. The interpretation indicated that a strong penetrative basement structural grain controlled the traps. This grain is believed to cause compartmentalization between some closures. In summary, integrating the specially filtered potential field data, seismic and hydrodynamic data with the new approaches in the tectonic development of the eastern Arabian Basin can support and enhance<br>the seismic image of reservoirs in both exploration and development case studies.