To: “The use of verticle seismic profiles in seismic investigations of the earth,” June 1982, GEOPHYSICS.

Geophysics ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 47 (9) ◽  
pp. 1347-1347
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Powder River Basin ◽  
Relative Amplitude ◽  
Seismic Profiles ◽  
Vertical Seismic Profiles ◽  
The Earth

In June 1982 Geophysics, the correct authors of “The use of vertical seismic profiles in seismic investigations of the earth” are A. H. Balch, M. W. Lee, J. J. Miller, and R. T. Ryder. R. T. Ryder was incorrectly listed as R. T. Taylor on the cover. The first two sentences of the caption for Figure 17 of the above paper (p. 917) should read “First Leo sand reflections and Minnekahta reflections from two wells in the eastern Powder River basin, Wyoming, from vertical seismic profiles (a) 50 ft thick Leo section, (b) Leo section 10 ft thick or less. Note the reduced relative amplitude of the Leo in (b).”

Seismic amplitude anomalies associated with thick First Leo sandstone lenses, eastern Powder River basin, Wyoming

Geophysics ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 46 (11) ◽  
pp. 1519-1527 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. H. Balch ◽  
M. W. Lee ◽  
John J. Miller ◽  
Robert T. Ryder
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Surface Profile ◽  
Seismic Profile ◽  
Powder River Basin ◽  
Seismic Profiles ◽  
Surface Reflection ◽  
Model Studies ◽  
Seismic Amplitude ◽  
Amplitude Anomaly ◽  
Middle Member

Several new discoveries of oil production in the Leo sandstone, an economic unit in the Pennsylvanian middle member of the Minnelusa formation, eastern Powder River basin, Wyoming‐Nebraska‐South Dakota, have renewed exploration interest in this area. Vertical seismic profiles (VSP) and model studies suggested that a measurable seismic amplitude anomaly is frequently associated with the thick First Leo sandstone lenses. To test this concept, a surface reflection seismic profile was run between two wells about 12 miles apart. The First Leo was present and productive in one well and thin and barren in the other. The surface profile shows the predicted amplitude anomaly at the well where a thick lens is known to exist. Two other First Leo amplitude anomalies also appear on the surface seismic profile between the two wells, which may indicate the presence of additional lenses.

Tomographic determination of three‐dimensional seismic velocity structure using well logs, vertical seismic profiles, and surface seismic data

Geophysics ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 1085-1098 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen K. L. Chiu ◽  
Robert R. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
Random Noise ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Well Logs ◽  
Seismic Profiles ◽  
Vertical Seismic Profiles ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Vsp Data

A tomographic technique (traveltime inversion) has been developed to obtain a two‐ or three‐dimensional velocity structure of the subsurface from well logs, vertical seismic profiles (VSP), and surface seismic measurements. The earth was modeled by continuous curved interfaces (polynomial or sinusoidal series), separating regions of constant velocity or transversely isotropic velocity. Ray tracing for each seismic source‐receiver pair was performed by solving a system of nonlinear equations which satisfy the generalized Snell’s law. Surface‐to‐borehole and surface‐to‐surface rays were included. A damped least‐squares formulation provided the updating of the earth model by minimizing the difference between the traveltimes picked from the real data and calculated traveltimes. Synthetic results indicated the following conclusions. For noise‐free cases, the inversion converged closely from the initial guess to the true model for either surface or VSP data. Adding random noise to the observations and performing the inversion indicated that (1) using surface data alone allows reconstruction of the broad velocity structure but with some inaccuracy; (2) using VSP data alone gives a very accurate but laterally limited velocity structure; and (3) the integration of both data sets produces a more laterally extensive, accurate image of the subsurface. Finally, a field example illustrates the viability of the method to construct a velocity structure from real data.

A guide to current uses of vertical seismic profiles

Geophysics ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 50 (12) ◽  
pp. 2473-2479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. Oristaglio
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Exploration ◽  
Significant Advance ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Seismic Profiles ◽  
Surface Source ◽  
Reflection And Transmission ◽  
Reflected Waves ◽  
Vertical Seismic Profiles ◽  
Transmission Properties ◽  
The Earth

Vertical seismic profiles (VSPs) are small‐scale seismic surveys in which geophones are lowered into a well to record waves traveling both down into the earth (direct waves from the surface source and downgoing multiples) and back toward the surface (primary reflections and upgoing multiples). VSPs thus contain information about the reflection and transmission properties of the earth with a coverage that depends upon the geometry of the VSP experiment and the structure near the well. This article describes the uses of VSPs in seismic exploration that have been published in the last three years and is designed to complement the more detailed surveys by Hardage (1983) and Balch and Lee (1984). When the earth is horizontally layered, the well is vertical, and the source is close to the wellhead, upgoing and downgoing waves recorded by the VSP travel vertically, and the VSP can be used to calibrate surface seismic sections by providing the time‐to‐depth curve and allowing a detailed analysis of reflection and transmission properties of the earth at a given location. These applications rely heavily on signal processing to separate the upgoing and downgoing waves and to study their relationships to data recorded at the surface. When the earth varies laterally or when the source is offset from the well, the VSP can be used to complement surface surveys by providing high‐resolution images of structure near the well. Current work has concentrated on forming images from the reflected waves by the methods of common‐depth‐point (CDP) stacking and migration. Tomographic methods for inverting the traveltimes and amplitudes of transmitted waves are also being developed and will become important when downhole arrays and powerful downhole sources are available. The most significant advance in the next few years, however, will be the development of a reliable three‐axis tool with internal devices for determining both the orientation of the tool and the quality of its coupling to the borehole wall.

The use of vertical seismic profiles in seismic investigations of the earth

Geophysics ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 906-918 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. H. Balch ◽  
M. W. Lee ◽  
J. J. Miller ◽  
Robert T. Ryder
Keyword(s):  
Surface Profile ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Seismic Exploration ◽  
Seismic Profiles ◽  
Stratigraphic Sequence ◽  
Multiple Channel ◽  
Vertical Seismic Profiles ◽  
Surface Profiling ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Porous Zone

During the past 8 years, the U.S. Geological Survey has conducted an extensive investigation on the use of vertical seismic profiles (VSP) in a variety of seismic exploration applications. Seismic sources used were surface air guns, vibrators, explosives, marine air guns, and downhole air guns. Source offsets have ranged from 100 to 7800 ft. Well depths have been from 1200 to over 10,000 ft. We have found three specific ways in which VSPs can be applied to seismic exploration. First, seismic events observed at the surface of the ground can be traced, level by level, to their point of origin within the earth. Thus, one can tie a surface profile to a well log with an extraordinarily high degree of confidence. Second, one can establish the detectability of a target horizon, such as a porous zone. One can determine (either before or after surface profiling) whether or not a given horizon or layered sequence returns a detectable reflection to the surface. The amplitude and character of the reflection can also be observed. Third, acoustic properties of a stratigraphic sequence can be measured and sometimes correlated to important exploration parameters. For example, sometimes a relationship between apparent attenuation and sand percentage can be established. The technique shows additional promise of aiding surface exploration indirectly through studies of the evolution of the seismic pulse, studies of ghosts and multiples, and studies of seismic trace inversion techniques. Nearly all current seismic data‐processing techniques are adaptable to the processing of VSP data, such as normal moveout (NMO) corrections, stacking, single‐and multiple‐channel filtering, deconvolution, and wavelet shaping.

Split Estate and Wyoming’s Orphaned Well Crisis: The Case of Coalbed Methane Reclamation in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Bills Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Technological Innovation ◽  
Coalbed Methane ◽  
Powder River Basin ◽  
Gas Wells ◽  
Mineral Rights ◽  
Split Estate ◽  
Legal Condition

This case presents the stakeholder conflicts that emerge during the development and subsequent reclamation of abandoned natural gas wells in Wyoming where split estate, or the separation of surface land and mineral rights from one another, occurs. From 1998 to 2008, the Powder River Basin of northeastern Wyoming experienced an energy boom as a result of technological innovation that enabled the extraction of coalbed methane (CBM). The boom resulted in over 16,000 wells being drilled in this 20,000 square-mile region in a single decade. As of May 2017, 4,149 natural gas wells now sit orphaned in Wyoming as a result of industry bankruptcy and abandonment. The current orphaned wells crisis was partially enabled by the patchwork of surface and mineral ownership in Wyoming that is a result of a legal condition referred to as split estate. As the CBM boom unfolded in this landscape and then began to wane, challenges emerged most notably surrounding stalled reclamation activities. This case illuminates these challenges highlighting two instances when split estate contributed to issues between landowners and industry operators which escalated to litigation.

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