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Application of Seismic Attributes for Detecting Different Geologic Features

within Kafr El-Sheikh Formation, Temsah Concession, Nile Delta Basin

Article · June 2017

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Mona G. Safa Mohammad Abdelfattah Sarhan

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 Application of Seismic Attributes for Detecting Different
Geologic Features within Kafr El Sheikh Formation,
Temsah Concession, Nile Delta Basin.

By

Mona Gomaa Safa*1 and Mohammad Abdelfattah Sarhan1

1 Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Damietta University, New Damietta City, 34517,
Egypt.

* Corresponding author, researcher at Damietta University <monasafa88@yahoo.com>

Abstract

The seismic attributes are powerful tools in monitoring and predicting the hydrocarbon
reservoirs. The application of seismic attributes on the raw seismic data helps the
interpreters to extract more information about the geologic features on seismic
profiles. Different volume seismic attributes have been applied in the present work to
examine their efficiency to differentiate different geologic features. This study has
revealed that the best seismic attributes which can be used to display the buried
channels include envelope, RMS amplitude, sweetness, chaos and spectral
decomposition attributes. However, structural dip and variance attributes enhance the
appearance of faults and fractures on the seismic sections.

Key Words: Seismic Attributes - Kafr El Sheikh Formation – Channels

1. Introduction

The Nile Delta Basin is a passive margin basin formed by the continuous
thermal subsidence followed the rifting phase of the Tethyan margin in the Jurassic -
Early Cretaceous interval (Dixon and Robertson, 1984; Harms and Wary, 1990;
Dolson et al, 2005). It is a fan-shaped basin covers about 250,000 Km2 in the northern
part of the African continental margin (Sestini, 1989). The sedimentary succession
beneath the Nile delta surface represents thick package of fine-grained siliciclastics
sediments deposited during the Late Tertiary - Quaternary time span (Hussein and

1
Abd-Allah, 2001; Kellner et al., 2009). The Jurassic - Early Cretaceous rift is bounded
to the south by the “Hinge Zone” (Said, 1962; Harms and Wary, 1990; Mosconi et al.,
1996). This “Hinge Zone” separates the thick Jurassic-Tertiary sedimentary package
(>6 km) to the north from about 0.5–1.5 km equivalent succession to the south of the
“Hinge Zone”.

The subsurface sedimentary succession of the Nile Delta Basin influenced by

the Upper Cretaceous–Tertiary transpression tectonic due to the closing of Tethys
created ENE Syrian Arc folding system (Meshref, 1990; Moustafa and Khalil, 1990;
Hussein and Abd-Allah, 2001; Dolson et al., 2005). Various major faults trends
affected the Nile Delta Basin probably reactivated during the Neogene time from the
underlying Mesozoic faults. The NE–SW trending normal fault sets (Rosetta Fault
Trend) is dominant in the north-western part of the Nile Delta province (Dolson et al.,
2005; Kellner et al., 2009; Abd-Allah et al., 2012). While, the north eastern part of the
Nile Delta Basin is mainly affected by NW-SE normal faults (Bardawil Fault trend).

The Miocene – Pliocene succession in the onshore and offshore parts in the Nile
Delta Basin represents the main hydrocarbon reservoirs and has a long history of
hydrocarbon exploration activities since 1963 (Abu El-Ella, 1990; Abdel Aal et al.,
2000). The shale beds of the Kafr El-Sheikh, Wakar and Sidi Salim Formations
represent the essential hydrocarbon source rocks in the Nile Delta sedimentary
succession. However, the sandy intervals within the Early – Middle Pliocene Kafr El-
Sheikh, the Messinian Abu Madi Formation and its equivalent Wakar Formation are
considered to be the main hydrocarbon reservoir rocks (Dolson et al., 2001; Khaled et
al., 2014).

The Neogene succession beneath the Nile Delta Basin was deposited under
relative sea level fluctuations varies from marginal to open marine environmental
conditions (Hashem et al., 2010). Stratigraphically, the Neogene sedimentary
succession includes from base to top, the Sidi Salim, Wakar, Rosetta, Kafr El-Sheikh,
El-Wastani and Mit-Ghamr Formations. All of these formations are alternations of

2
sandstones, siltstones and shale beds except for the Messinian Rosetta Formation
which is composed essentially of evaporites (Rizzini et al., 1976).

The Messinian age in the northern parts of the Nile Delta Basin is characterized
by a significant stratigraphic hiatus named Messinian Unconformity. This
Unconformity was resulted by the global sea level drop in the Late Miocene time
accompanied by the northward retreat of the Late Tortonian Sea (Hsu et al., 1973;
Barber, 1981). This situation led to deposition of a thick body of evaporites (up to 2
km in thickness) covering most parts of the Mediterranean basin. The Messinian
evaporite succession was affected by the subsequent erosion processes led to fluvial
incision system within the Late Miocene sediments in the Nile Delta basin (Barber,
1981; Said, 1981; Manzi et al., 2005).

The Temsah Field is located in the Temsah Concession of the Nile Delta
offshore and is at about 65 km north-north-west of Port Said. The Denise area is
located in the Temsah Concession of the Nile Delta offshore and is about 70 km
north-north-west of Port Said and 7 km north-west of the Temsah Field (fig. 1). This
Concession is operated since the beginning of 1992by IEOC: as a sole partner is
AMOCO Egypt Oil Company, having a participating interest of 50%. 3D data became
available in 1993, a Pliocene seismic feature was located at a depth of about 1500
msec in the northwestern sector of the survey. This was a huge amplitude anomaly
whose brightness and definition had been never seen in Egypt before (fig. 2). Its
characteristics led to study it as a seismic bright spot (Bertello et al., 1996).

The seismic bright spot is a strong and anomalous amplitude event which stands
out quite obviously in the overall seismic scenario. It commonly occurs in terrigenous
sequences and is often associated with an accumulation of gas or light oil in sandy
reservoirs. The seismic brightness is located at the top and at the bottom of the gas
reservoir, and, in case it is present, at the gas-water-contact: it is due to the strong
reflection coefficient produced along these interfaces by the very low seismic velocity
and density of the gas or light oil. The bright spots are usually found in the shallower
part of the seismic section and also in relatively recent sequences. The bright spot
outlined in the Temsah area was named Denise. It is about 8 km in length and 1.5 km
in width. It is located in a rollover created by the sliding of the Pliocene sequence

3
along a big listric normal fault. Overall the Denise feature has a 4-ways dip closure.
An amplitude map carried out for the top of the reservoir clearly showed the extent of
the possible hydrocarbon pool. The edges of the amplitude anomaly well
corresponded to the structural closure outlined by the seismic interpretation, this
letting suppose that the structure was filled with hydrocarbons down to the spill point.
The Denise bright spot shows an outstanding flat spot at its base. This feature was
associated with the presence of a gas-water-contact. Below the culmination and in the
area where thickness is the biggest, this interface shows a gentle sag which was
attributed to a pull-down effect of the hydrocarbon column. The maximum vertical
closure of the prospect was estimated to be 120 msec (about 100 m) (Bertello et al.,
1996).

Seismic attributes are the components of the seismic data, which are obtained by
measurement, computation, and other methods from the seismic data. Seismic
attribute analysis can extract information from seismic data that is, otherwise, hidden
in the data and have been used to identify prospects, ascertain depositional
environments. Hence, many new attributes were used in seismic geomorphology
study. Most of these attributes are yet to be understood by many geoscientists and
Interpreters. The main aim of this paper is to review and introduce the most
commonly used seismic attributes and their usage as interpretation tool for seismic
geomorphology (Koson et al., 2014).

2. Available data
The available data used in this analysis consists of a grid of 20 2D offshore
seismic sections in Temsah Concessions and four drilled wells used to tie with
seismic grid. The seismic profiles are taken in the NW-SE and NE-SW directions.

Temsah Seismic data Acquired at 1992 & Bi Azimuth study conducted after
new acquisition 2004 at August 2008, Bi Azimuth area is about 300 SQ Km. The
objective of the Bi Azimuth study is to take the advantage of the old 1992 survey
which had been acquired in perpendicular Azimuth to that of Akhen Temsah, so the
net result to have two Azimuths at the same area. These data were acquired by
Belayim petroleum company.

4
 3. Methodology
In petroleum exploration, the first step towards a successful hydrocarbon
discovery is a good subsurface image of seismic data. Seismic data is first processed
to increase its signal-to-noise ratio and interpreted to determine subsurface geology.
Seismic data is the output of a convolution operation between the earth reflectivity
and a source wavelet. The convolution operation causes a major problem in the
seismic data. It produces a band-limited trace, whose bandwidth is determined by the
seismic wavelet.
Seismic attributes analysis was first used in the 1970s and 1980s in petroleum
exploration after the development of complex trace theory in the early 1970s. An
attribute is defined as a measurement based on seismic data, such as envelope
amplitude ("reflection strength"), instantaneous phase, instantaneous frequency,
polarity, velocity, dip, dip azimuth, etc (Sheriff, 1994). Seismic attributes are specific
measurements of geometric, kinematic, or statistical features derived from seismic
data (Chen and Sidney, 1997). Seismic attributes can be defined as all parameters
contained in seismics (Coren et al., 2001). Seismic attributes are defined as all the
information obtained from seismic data, either by direct measurements or by logical
or experience based reasoning (Taner, 2001).

Seismic attributes are essentially derivatives of the basic seismic measurements

i.e. time, amplitude, frequency and attenuation which also form the basis of their
classification (Brown, 2004). It was also defined by Sheriff, 1992; as a measurement
based on seismic data such as envelope, instantaneous phase, instantaneous
frequency, polarity, dip and dip azimuth, etc. It is important to note that attribute
interpretation supplements conventional structural interpretation and the
discriminating properties of the attributes set may be critically checked for its
relevance for a particular problem of a prospect. The seismic data is treated as an
analytic trace which contains real components (original input trace) and the complex
(imaginary) component, usually generated from the Hilbert transforms from which
various amplitudes, phase and frequency attributes can be deduced (Nissen, 2002).

5
The application of some attributes to declares some Pliocene channels which show a
bright spots, flat spots (hydrocarbon indicators) and help interpreting seismic
geomorphology (faults, diapirs, unconformities and channel features) as follows:

4. Results

4.1. Channel Detection

4.1.1. Cosine of Instantaneous Phase:
Cosine of instantaneous phase is independent of amplitude and shows bedding
very well. This attribute is smoother than phase (which has discontinuities) and thus is
useful for automatic classification procedures, (Fig 3).

This attribute is useful as

1. Best indicator of lateral continuity,
2. Relates to the phase component of the wave propagation.
3. Can be used to compute the phase velocity,
4. Has no amplitude information, hence all events are represented,
5. Shows discontinuities, but may not be the best. It is better to show continuities
Sequence boundaries,
6. Detailed visualization of bedding configurations,
Used in computation of instantaneous frequency and acceleration, (Rock Solid
Images, 2003).

Fig 3 shows that Seismic section (Line No T-8950) in original amplitude does not
clearly show any obvious Seismic feature. So, the stratigraphic analysis with the
cosine of instantaneous phase attribute shows obviously a 1.5 Km channel with its
internal reflection pattern with.

4.1.2. Trace Gradient

The trace gradient attribute computes the gradient along a trace between consecutive
samples, equation 1.

Where K is the user-defined number of samples.

High values of trace gradient are related with consecutive points having great changes
in amplitudes. This attribute is useful to distinguish between seismic units and can be

6
correlated with areas with abrupt changes in lithologies, related to differences in
acoustic impedance (Fig 4). (Rock Solid Images, 2003).
The seismic stratigraphic analysis with Trace Gradient attribute deduced a 2.5 Km
length channel with is upper and lower boundaries with downlapping internal
reflectors in Line No (L-1016), Fig 4.

4.1.3. Signal Envelope (E) or Reflection Strength

The envelope is useful in highlighting discontinuities, changes in lithology, faults, and
changes in deposition, tuning effect, and sequence boundaries. It also is proportional
to reflectivity and therefore useful for analyzing AVO anomalies. If there are two
volumes that differ by constant phase shift only, their envelopes will be the same.
This attribute is good for looking at packages of amplitudes. This attribute represent
mainly the acoustic impedance contrast, hence reflectivity. This attribute is mainly
useful in identifying:
1- Bright spots
2- gas accumulation figure
3- Sequence boundaries, major changes or depositional environments
4- Thin-bed tuning effects
5- Unconformities
6- Major changes of lithology.
7- Local changes indicating faulting
8- Spatial correlation to porosity and other lithologic variations.
9- Indicates the group, rather than phase component of seismic wave propagation.
(Rock Solid Images, 2003).
As an attribute related to the energy content of the seismic trace, it is useful to detect
major and subtle lithological changes that may be difficult to interpret from the
original seismic input. High values of the envelope can appear due to major
lithological changes and sedimentary sequences boundaries as well as related to bright
spots caused by gas accumulations. Gradual lateral changes of envelope values are
often correlated with lateral variations in lithologies (Taner et al., 1979).

The bright spots probably are corresponded to channel bodies or sand layers due to an
acoustic impedance contrast (Koson, 2014). As showed in Fig 5.

7
 4.1.4. RMS Amplitude
In oil and gas industry, RMS amplitudes are traditionally computed as a surface
attribute or in strata slices (Zeng et al., 1998) to build attribute maps. Computing the
RMS amplitude attribute for an entire seismic cube enables the user to look at the data
in a different perspective. Rendering a RMS volume attribute where only high values
are displayed , for example, can be used to interpret ancient channels systems and in
the recognition of bright spots, Fig 6.

4.2. Shale Diapir Detection

4.2.1. Chaos
As the name suggests, the chaos attribute is related to the “lack of organization”
within a 3D window. This attribute measures how consistent is the dip and azimuth
orientation estimated using the principal component method (Schlumberger, 2007a).
Estimated measurements with low consistency are related to a chaotic signal pattern.
Chaotic patterns are used to enhance faults, discontinuities, salt bodies, and reflectors
with chaotic texture which are often associated with channel infill or reef textures, Fig
7.

4.2.2. Instantaneous Frequency

Instantaneous frequency is the time derivative of the phase, i.e., the rate of change of
the phase equation 2:
F(t)=d((t))/dt
Instantaneous frequency represents the mean amplitude of the wavelet.
Instantaneous frequency can indicate bed thickness and also lithology parameters.
Corresponds to the average frequency (centroid) of the amplitude spectrum of the
seismic wavelet. Seismic character correlator, Indicates the edges of low impedance
thin beds.
Hydrocarbon indicator by low frequency anomaly. This effect is sometimes
accentuated by the unconsolidated sands due to the oil content of the pores (Taner,
2001).
Fracture zone indicator, appear as lower frequency zones. Chaotic reflection zone
indicator, Bed thickness indicator.
Higher frequencies indicate sharp interfaces or thin shale bedding, lower frequencies
indicate sand rich bedding. Sand/Shale ratio indicator, Fig 8.

8
 4.3. Fault Detection
4.3.1. Dip Deviation
Dip deviation is a multi-trace-based seismic attribute that tracks rapid changes in the
local orientation of seismic reflectors; these rapid changes can be interpreted as edges.
The dip deviation algorithm considers the difference between the dip trend and the
instantaneous dip. Dip estimates are computed from the local maxima of the input
seismic data and from the maxima of the derivative of the input data, which are then
smoothed by a Gaussian smoothing operator, Fig 9.

This method has proven results in passive margins and soft rocks where the
downthrown side of a fault typically shows significant dip into the fault. It has also
been found to work successfully for low-angle illumination.

4.3.2. Structural Smoothing

Structural smoothing is a fast volumetric signal processing method that applies a 3D
Gaussian filter to reduce the noise content of the input data. This attribute performs a
structure-orientated filtering since it takes into account bed estimated orientations, by
the principal component estimation method. A structure-orientated filter reduces the
noise content without losing information related to edges within the data.

Nowadays, the time spent in seismic data interpretation is considerably reduced when
compared to the past. Costumers want fast responses with robust interpretations and
reliable geological models which best fit the seismic data with the less time-
consumption possible. In addition, if in the past most of the interpreters were
geophysicists they have been mostly replaced by geologists that, if by one hand are
able to build best geological models, by the other hand have more difficulties in
distinguishing noise from real data, and have little knowledge of seismic data
processing and artifacts (Fehmers and Höcker, 2003). Fast volumetric signal
processing attributes, Fig 10.

4.3.3. Instantaneous Phase

Instantaneous phase enhances both weak and strong seismic events due to the
invariant nature of the attribute in terms of amplitudes. This attribute has proven
results enhancing reflectors continuity, discontinuities, faults and pinch-outs, (Fig 11).
Seismic stratigraphy patterns (e.g. onlaps and offlaps) are easily identified with this
attribute allowing the interpreter to deduce more easily the sedimentary processes that

9
affected the area (Taner et al., 1979). Thin-bed hydrocarbon reservoirs often cause
local phasing due to the presence of hydrocarbon accumulations, which explains
classifying instantaneous phase as a DHI, a potential Direct Hydrocarbon Indicator
(Chen et al., 1997).

4.3.4. Variance
The variance attribute is an edge imaging and detection method. The window size is
the critical parameter to obtain discontinuities as sharp as possible. Long vertical
windows produce vertical stripping while short window lengths produce horizontal
stripping when variance is displayed in cross-sections (Figure 12). The size of the
window can be adjusted in inline/crossline and vertical directions independently.
Different values for each of the first two directions can really bring out depositional
features which have a preferential directions in space (e.g. non-meandering channels),
Variance attribute is proved to help imaging of channels and faults (Pigott et al.,
2013) and is also used to display directly the major fault zones, fractures,
unconformities and the major sequence boundaries.

5. Conclusion
The seismic bright spots can be found usually in the shallow part of the seismic
section and are good indicators of gas or light hydrocarbon accumulations, especially
if a flat spot, reflecting a possible gas-water-contact, is associated.

It can help the interpreter to extract more information from conventional seismic
data, which can support the geomorphology and also paleo-environments
interpretation. The main types of fluvial system elements are major channels are well
displayed with envelope, RMS amplitude, sweetness, chaos attribute and spectral
decomposition. Structure such as faults and fractures are displayed well with
structural dip and variance attribute.

Through the application of some seismic attributes such as Cosine of

Instantaneous Phase, Trace Gradient, Signal Envelope and RMS Amplitude, possible
hydrocarbon reservoirs are detected as channels vary in length from 1 to 2.5 Km
channel and stacked channels.

10
 The shale Diapir is clearly detected by using Chaos and Instantaneous
Frequency attributes. Also the structural interpretation also becomes easier by using
Dip Deviation, Structural Smoothing, Instantaneous Phase and Variance Attributes.

11
 Acknowledgement

The authors are grateful to the PETROBEL Petroleum Company and the Egyptian General

Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) for providing the data presented in this article.

12
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15
 Figures Captions

Fig (1): Location map of the Study area.

Fig (2): Denise Seismic anomaly.

Fig. (3): (a) Seismic section (Line No T-8950) in original amplitude. (b) Seismic
stratigraphic analysis shows a 1.5 Km channel with its internal reflection pattern with
the cosine of instantaneous phase attribute.

Fig. (4): (a) Seismic section (Line No L-1016) in original amplitude. (b) Seismic
stratigraphic analysis with Trace Gradient attribute.(c) Interpreted channel (2.5 Km
length).

Fig. (5): Signal Envelope Attribute on consecutive seismic lines in the NE-SW
direction. (a) The location map shows the examined seismic lines on b, c, d, e figures.

Fig. (6): RMS Amplitude Attribute on consecutive seismic lines in the NE-SW
direction. (a) The location map shows the examined seismic lines on b, c, d, e figures.

Fig. (7): (a) Seismic section in original amplitude and (b) is a Chaos attribute, three
major features that chaos attribute is able to enhance can be identified:
faults/discontinuities, shale intrusion and chaotic texture within reflectors.

Fig. (8): (a) Seismic section in original amplitude. (b) Instantaneous Frequency
showing the shale diaper.

Fig. (9): Comparison between original seismic data and dip deviation attribute. (a)
Seismic section in original amplitude. (b) Seismic section from a dip deviation cube
displaying only dip differences bigger than 10º. blue arrows point towards two faults
perfectly identified by the attribute.

Fig. (10): Seismic section in: (a) original amplitude; (b) structural smoothing
attribute.

Fig. (11): Seismic section displayed in original amplitude and (b) corresponding
instantaneous phase attribute where reflectors have enhanced continuity. Faults and
seismic stratigraphy patterns (reflectors terminations) are better interpreted.

Fig. (12): Seismic section displayed in original amplitude and (b) corresponding
variance attribute where Faults are better interpreted.

16
 Fig (1): Location map of the Study area.

Fig (2): Denise Seismic anomaly.

Cosine of Instantaneous Phase

NE
SW

0 1 Km

Fig. (3): (a) Seismic section (Line No T-8950) in original amplitude. (b)
Seismic stratigraphic analysis shows a 1.5 Km channel with its internal
reflection pattern with the cosine of instantaneous phase attribute.
 Trace Gradient

N SE
W

0 2.5 Km c

Fig. (4): (a) Seismic section (Line No L-1016) in original amplitude. (b)
Seismic stratigraphic analysis with Trace Gradient attribute.(c)
Interpreted channel (2.5 Km length).
Signal Envelope (E) or Reflection Strength

a
 S NE
W

T 4950 1 Km

1.25 Km
T 5350

1 Km
T 5750

T 6150
0.5 Km

Fig. (5): Signal Envelope Attribute on a consecutive seismic lines in the

NE-SW direction.
RMS Amplitude
 NW SE

0.5 Km

1 Km

1 Km

1 Km

Fig. (6): RMS Amplitude Attribute on a consecutive seismic lines in the

NE-SW direction.
 (a)

(b)
Fig. (7): (a) Seismic section in original amplitude and (b) is a
Chaos attribute, three major features that chaos attribute is able to
enhance can be identified: faults/discontinuities, shale intrusion and
chaotic texture within reflectors.
 (a)

(b)

Fig. (8): (a) Seismic section in original amplitude. (b) Instantaneous

Frequency showing the shale diaper.
 (a)

(b)

Fig. (9): Comparison between original seismic data and dip deviation
attribute. (a) Seismic section in original amplitude. (b) Seismic section
from a dip deviation cube displaying only dip differences bigger than 10º.
blue arrows point towards two faults perfectly identified by the attribute.
 (a)

(b)

Fig. (10): Seismic section in: (a) original amplitude; (b) structural
smoothing attribute.
 (a)

Faults

(b)

Fig. (11): Seismic section displayed in original amplitude and (b)

corresponding instantaneous phase attribute where reflectors have
enhanced continuity. Faults and seismic stratigraphy patterns (reflectors
terminations) are better interpreted.
 (a)

(b)

Fig. (12): Seismic section displayed in original amplitude and (b)

corresponding variance attribute where Faults are better interpreted.

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