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3D Inversion of Helicopter Time-domain Electromagnetic Data for Oil Sands Exploration near Fort McMurray, Alberta
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, 74th EAGE Conference and Exhibition incorporating EUROPEC 2012, Jun 2012, cp-293-00328
- ISBN: 978-90-73834-27-9
Abstract
Helicopter time-domain electromagnetic (HTEM) systems have dominated the airborne electromagnetic (AEM) industry for mineral exploration and environmental studies over the past decade. For oil exploration and related environmental due diligence near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, recent interest in HTEM has been driven by the requirement for a cost-effective method for characterizing surface mineable oil sands and shallow steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) prospects. The primary advantage of HTEM is that high-resolution data can be easily and safely acquired over large areas with zero surface disturbances at a fraction of the cost of seismic reflection. We recently demonstrated that HTEM data can be interpreted with full 3D inversion with a moving sensitivity domain, obviating reliance on various 1D methods. In this paper, we present a case study for the 3D inversion of HTEM data for oil sands exploration near Fort McMurray.