METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY PRODUCING REPRESENTATIONS OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL HORIZONS FROM PROCESSED SEISMIC DATA

摘要

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY PRODUCING REPRESENTATIONSOF THREE-DIMENSIONAL HORIZONS FROM PROCESSED SEISMIC DATAABSTRACT Of THE DISCLOSUREAn electronic system automatically produces representationsof three-dimensional recommended horizons (50a-50e) fromprocessed seismic data (40),Significant events, in the form ofturnings, are identified in all of the digitized traces thatmake up the processed seismic data. Pairs of significant eventsin adjacent traces are determined. The system determines thesepairs through a mutual nearest neighbor technique, together witha technique for detecting similar signs. The system measuresthe curvature of the path formed by the paired turnings insuccessive digital traces and terminates the path at any pointwhere the curvature exceeds a predetermined limit. The systemthen looks for three-dimensional continuity by looking for aclosed loop of at least four turnings making up four pairs ofturnings. These techniques yield at least one horizonrepresented in a first format. The recommendedhorizon (50a-50e), represented in a second format. isessentially extracted by the system through a recursive"walking" procedure for identifying all of the turnings in therecommended horizon and designating those turnings in the secondformat. At the same time, vertical uniqueness of each of theturnings in the recommended horizon is examined and if asubsequent turning is found to be on the same digital trace as aprior detected turning, the subsequent turning is not permitted.The second format is used for storage of the horizon andsubsequent display.