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Microtremor Analysis in Seismic Reflection Data for Identification of Oil and

Gas Reservoirs

Conference Paper · June 2014

DOI: 10.3997/2214-4609.20141562

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Th G107 15
Microtremor Analysis in Seismic Reflection Data
for Identification of Oil and Gas Reservoirs
T.I. Chichinina* (Mexican Institute of Petroleum), E.A. Hogoev (Trofimuk
Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics) & A. Reyes-Pimentel
(Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico)

SUMMARY
A new method of spectral analysis of ‘hydrocarbon tremors’ (microseisms) is developed for seismic
exploration of oil and gas. As an input data this method uses standard 3D seismic reflection data. In
comparison with other methods of passive seismology, this method does not require any specific field
acquisition and devices, since the input data can be extracted from conventional seismic reflection data.
The know-how of the method is in using the time intervals in the wave records before the first arrivals, as
input data for the method. Then, we have developed the method furthermore by using the intervals of
seismic traces corresponded to the latest times, that is after all the reflection-waves’ events. As an example,
an algorithm is presented by its application to Oriental Siberia data. There is a strong correlation of the
tremor spectrum intensity with the oil/gas pay-zone location. In the well perforated following our
prognosis, substantial gas flow has been obtained with an excellent production rate.

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Introduction
Thirty years ago, geophysicists found out a special kind of natural microseismic activity related to the
presence of hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Earth; they call this phenomenon the oil and gas
microtremor or the microseisms’ (MS) emission of hydrocarbons (Sadovskiy and Nikolaev 1982;
Nersesov et al. 1990). These microtremors of hydrocarbons have energy in the low frequency
spectrum, in the certain interval from 2 Hz to 5 Hz. The discovery of this kind of hydrocarbon (HC)
microtremors has led to the development of passive microseismic technologies for seismic exploration
(e.g. Arutyunov et al. 1998; Dangel et al. 2003; Birialtsev et al., 2006; Holzner et al. 2005; Hanssen
and Bussat 2008; Lambert et al. 2009; Saenger et al. 2009; Katebi et al. 2011; Gerivani et al. 2012).
The MS response of oil and gas reservoirs from different oil/gas fields in the world has the same
characteristics of frequency range and spectrum shape. For example, Dangel et al. (2003) demonstrate
similar MS amplitude spectra from the places as distant as United Arab Emirates and Switzerland.
Saenger et al. (2009) show amplitude spectra from the Burgos Basin in Mexico, which are very
similar to those mentioned, with the same frequency range. There were performed numerous efforts to
understand the causes of this phenomenon of microseisms related to oil and gas (e.g. Korchagin 2000;
Birialtsev et al. 2006; Saenger et al. 2009; Frehner et al. 2009; Holzner et al. 2009; Broadhead 2010;
Suntsov and Grafov 2010; Suntsov and Smirnov 2010; Svalov 2010; Rapoport 2013; Shabalin et al.
2013). Nowadays there is no unique theory which perfectly explains all the aspects of this
phenomenon. However in spite of absence of a unified theory, various methods of MS spectral
analysis are rapidly developed for seismic exploration of oil and gas.
In order to detect MS emission, there are commonly used complex multi-channel seismic stations
including broadband seismographs measuring the natural seismic activity during long periods of time
(from several days to weeks) (e.g. Lambert et al. 2009). Instead of these expensive data acquisitions,
we have developed a method which enables using standard seismic reflection data to analyze the
microseismic emission. As we know, the detection of microseismic events comes from passive
seismology, while seismic reflection-wave surveys are related to active methods of seismic
exploration, because of the use of artificial sources (such as seismic vibrators, shot guns, explosions,
etc.). The question of how to merge these techniques from these two different approaches– that is the
active and passive methods – was solved by Vedernikov (2001), who developed a quite ingenious
method to detect microseismic events from seismic reflection data.

Method
The method uses the early-time portions of common-shot-point gathers, before the first arrivals of
seismic wave fronts, as shown in Figure 1 (the area marked by number 1). Such portions of seismic
records contain all needed information on natural microseisms and are considered as an input data in
the method. Figure 1 shows the zone with square (rectangle) geometry that is formed by the offsets’
interval (1500 m; 4000 m) and the time interval from 0 to 500 ms, for this case study performed in
oil/gas field of Oriental Siberia. In other words, Vedernikov method uses long offsets and early times
(e.g. Vedernikov 2006; 2012; 2013; Vedernikov and Hogoev 2006; 2007). An example of the method
application is illustrated in Figure 4. Figure 4-c shows 2D seismic section from a zone where a
productive well was drilled. Total amplitude spectrum along the section is shown in Figure 4-b, where
the zone with the productive well exhibits evident spectrum anomaly. The MS spectrum exhibits
predominant frequency range at the interval from 10 Hz to 20 Hz (shown in Figure 4-a). Note that this
frequency range of microseisms is higher than in the case of conventional passive MS monitoring that
is usually from 1 Hz to 5 Hz as mentioned in the introduction. The background theory of Vedernikov
method is based on the latest studies, which have shown that the amplitude spectrum of hydrocarbon
tremors can be made broadband (e.g. from 1 to 40 Hz) and/or more intensive by stimulation of
vibroseismic-source excitation (Vedernikov et al. 2001, Alekseev et al. 2004, Suntsov et al. 2006,
Serdyukov and Kurlenya, 2007, Kuznetsov et al. 2007). Thus, during conventional field jobs on
seismic data acquisition for the method of reflected waves, concomitant stimulation of HC
microseisms by artificial seismic sources (vibrators, shot guns, explosions, etc.) evidently takes place.
Workflow of the method (Hogoev 2008). The first step in the workflow is selection of the appropriate
seismic traces based in a threshold value given by the following equation: | M  ui |! 3 V , where M is

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Amsterdam RAI, The Netherlands, 16-19 June 2014
the mean, and σ is the variance of the RMS
amplitude distribution in seismic traces (ui) along
seismic profile. The rejected traces are those whose
difference between the RMS amplitude with respect
to the mean is larger than three times the standard
deviation (square root of the variance) of the
amplitude distribution. With the application of the
rejection criteria, the traces with extreme RMS
values are eliminated. Figure 2 shows histogram of
RMS amplitude of traces along a profile, before
(Figure 2a) and after (Figure 2b) the application of
the rejection criteria. The traces below the threshold
value were used for stacking along the profile; the
most of the MS data has good quality with stacking
Figure 1. Common shot point gather
fold close to 30 (Figure 2c).
and two zones inside of it, which are
In the next step, Fast Fourier Transform was applied used as input data in Vedernikov
trace by trace to calculate the MS-amplitude method (marked by number 1), and in
spectrum along the seismic profile line. The the new method developed (marked by
following ranges of frequencies are selected to number 2).
calculate the mean value of spectra: (1) from 0 to 10
Hz, (2) from 10 to 20 Hz, and so on, up to the interval from 50 to 60 Hz. The resultant graphs of MS-
amplitude spectrum as a function of horizontal distance along the profile line are shown in Figure 3,
before (a) and after (b) application of smoothing and filtering procedures. Note the highest MS energy
at the low frequency intervals from 0 to 20 Hz.

Figure 2. Improving quality of the MS data: RMS- Figure 3. Application of smoothing and
amplitude histogram from all the traces (before (a) filtering procedures to MS-spectra (before (a)
and after (b)). Final stacking-fold histogram (c). and after (b)).

Method Development and Results

Our development of the method is based on use of traces at the latest times as an input data, instead of
using the early times as in the original method of Vedernikov. We assume that after 3.5 s of active
seismic records, the attenuation of active seismic waves took place and so that the main portion of
energy came exclusively from microseisms. So, from each common shot point gather, we use those
parts of seismic traces, which enter into the zone marked by number 2 shown in Figure 1. To evaluate
the developed method, we compare its results with the old method that is the original method of
Vedernikov. The amplitude spectra calculated with using late times show higher contrasts in
frequency anomalies in comparison with the original method. And also it allows us to find anomalies
not identified before by the original methodology.
The low-frequency anomalies in the MS amplitude spectrum are mainly located at an anticline shown
in Figure 4c.

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Amsterdam RAI, The Netherlands, 16-19 June 2014
From the traditional methods of seismic-reflection-data interpretation, this anticline has been
identified, but there was uncertainty if it could be related to a hydrocarbon reservoir.

Figure 4.
Spectral analysis of
MS in oil/gas field
from Oriental Siberia,
where the successful
well Bh-1 drilled in a
zone with a low-
frequency anomaly.

The results of the MS analysis have reduced the uncertainty. Then, when the well Bh-1 (shown in
Figure 4a) was drilled, it has proved the method by high rate of gas production (974,000 m3/ day) as
well as gas condensate flow at the depth 1500 m. Figure 5 shows a map of MS spectra, where there
is a pair of mutually intersected profiles oriented approximately N-S and W-E. (The profile N-S is
shown in Figure 4.) The map shows the total (for the interval from 0 to 40 Hz) MS-amplitude
spectrum (normalized to its maximum value). In the map, all the dry wells are located outside of the
zone of MS-spectrum anomaly. The only producing well Bh-1 is situated inside of the zone of the
evident MS anomaly. As we can see, there are other perspective places with higher probability of
hydrocarbons for well drilling which can be highly recommended. It should be done to the north --
north-east from the well Bh-1, where the strongest anomaly of microseisms has been found. In Figure
6, one can compare two independently determined MS-amplitude spectra, estimated in the cross point
of the two profiles (W-E and S-N). Each spectrum is calculated separately in its own seismic section
along its corresponding profile (W-E or S-N). Both spectra graphs having high correlation coefficient
of 0.925 are very similar to each other. This test can support and prove the method.
Conclusions
The method of MS spectral analysis is useful to reduce uncertainties during exploration stages. The
proposed workflow uses standard seismic reflection data as an input data, and therefore it can be
applied in most oil/gas fields, with a very low economic inversion because it does not require any
additional efforts for field data acquisition. The method provides seismic profiles with distribution of
the amplitude spectra of microseisms (MS) along these profiles, as well as the MS spectral attribute
maps. This independent and valuable information complements the results of standard interpretation

76th EAGE Conference & Exhibition 2014

Amsterdam RAI, The Netherlands, 16-19 June 2014
such as structural and stratigraphic maps and sections. The method provides direct hydrocarbon
indicators, and therefore it would be promising and could open new perspectives in exploration of
unconventional reservoirs such as shale gas /oil plays, in which there are no any evident oil and gas
traps as in conventional reservoirs.

Figure 6. Two MS-amplitude spectra

Figure 5. MS-amplitude spectra map. Pair of
calculated at the intersection point of the two
intersected seismic profiles (WE and SN).
seismic profiles, WE and NS.
The well Bh-1. Zoomed fragment (b).
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