Challenges of Quantitative Interpretation for Luconia Carbonates

Quantitative Interpretation is an integral component of the seismic exploration and exploitation workflow. In general, Quantitative Interpretation faces many challenges from seismic quality, limited well sampling, geological uncertainty and rock physics limitations and uncertainties. For the Miocene carbonates of Luconia, for example, this results in challenges in terms of prediction from seismic data of lithology and mineralogy, top carbonate, fluid presence and fluid type, column height, pore volume and pressure. The petrophysics and rock physics of carbonates is complex. The elastic properties are sensitive to mineralogy, porosity, pore shapes, fluid types and pressures. These sensitivities combined with significant lateral and vertical heterogeneity, the effects of CO2 contamination on the reservoir and overburden, can explain some of the general observations. Using a variety of case studies and modelling, the challenges and possible solutions are presented.