Houston, We Have a Problem: Geologic Ambiguities Persist on GoM Subsalt Seismic Data

led out, and the industry necessarily transitions to less obvious and/or more complex subsalt objectives.Our talk describes three generic subsalt trap styles that comprise a significant portion of remaining play inventory, but which carry increased geologic risks, thereby requiring wholesale improvements in subsalt seismic fidelity if the industry is going to maintain its current favorable success rate: 1) Low relief anticlines situated in the down dip lower slope salt trend. 2) “Bowl weld” truncation traps of the middle to upper slope. 3) “Ribbon truncation closures” that are ubiquitous across the subsalt play fairway. We illustrate the critical velocity sensitivities and imaging challenges associated with each of these trap geometries, and discuss how interpretational ambiguities that endure on current subsalt seismic datasets impede the commercial assessment of these remaining exploration opportunities.