Dipmeter-Driven Seismic Mapping of Poorly Imaged Pre-Rift Structures (Gulf of Suez Rift, Egypt)

In the Gulf of Suez Rift (Egypt), the Nubian Sandstone is one of the most important hydrocarbon reservoirs. Interpretation of the complex tilted fault blocks is difficult because seismic volumes are strongly influenced by multiples. Based on well data, structural dips in the study area can be attributed to two provinces of regional dip direction, towards SW and NE, respectively, and an accommodation zone with relatively low dip angles and various dip directions between the two provinces. An initial Top Nubian Sandstone map was created by construction of planar fault blocks based on well tops and dipmeter data only. The final map combined the constructed map with seismic interpretation on a newly processed PreSDM volume. The initial constructed map was used as a guiding horizon during seismic interpretation. Away from well locations, both constructed and seismic map should be handled with care. In areas with poor well control and poor seismic image, the two maps could be considered as two alternative scenarios. In areas with many wells and poor seismic image, the constructed map can be a reasonable approach. However, for detailed mapping of structures seismic interpretation is always needed.