Tectonic geomorphology of the Ryukyu Trench-Arc-Backarc System: geological-geophysical exploration and mapping

OKINAWA TROUGH; BASIN

Geophysical signatures associated with fluid flow and gas hydrate occurrence in a tectonically quiescent sequence, Qiongdongnan Basin, South China Sea

Interpretation of high-resolution two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) seismic data collected in the Qiongdongnan Basin, South China Sea reveals the presence of polygonal faults, pockmarks, gas chimneys and slope failure in strata of Pliocene and younger age. The gas chimneys are characterized by low-amplitude reflections, acoustic turbidity and low P-wave velocity indicating fluid expulsion pathways. Coherence time slices show that the polygonal faults are restricted to sediments with moderate-amplitude, continuous reflections. Gas hydrates are identified in seismic data by the presence of bottom simulating reflectors (BSRs), which have high amplitude, reverse polarity and are subparallel to seafloor. Mud diapirism and mounded structures have variable geometry and a great diversity regarding the origin of the fluid and the parent beds. The gas chimneys, mud diapirism, polygonal faults and a seismic facies-change facilitate the upward migration of thermogenic fluids from underlying sediments. Fluids can be temporarily trapped below the gas hydrate stability zone, but fluid advection may cause gas hydrate dissociation and affect the thickness of gas hydrate zone. The fluid accumulation leads to the generation of excess pore fluids that release along faults, forming pockmarks and mud volcanoes on the seafloor. These features are indicators of fluid flow in a tectonically-quiescent sequence, Qiongdongnan Basin. Geofluids (2010) 10, 351-368.

Geophysical evaluation methods for buried hill reservoirs in the Jiyang superdepression of the Bohai Bay basin, eastern China

The Jiyang superdepression is one of the richest hydrocarbon accumulations in the Bohai Bay basin, eastern China. Comprehensive seismic methods have been used in buried hill exploration in Jiyang to describe these fractured reservoirs better. Accurate seismic stratigraphic demarcation and variable-velocity mapping were applied to reveal the inner structure of the buried hills and determine the nature of the structural traps more precisely. Based on the analysis of rock properties and the characteristics of well-developed buried hill reservoirs, we have successfully linked the geology and seismic response by applying seismic forward technology. Log-constrained inversion, absorption coefficient analysis and tectonic forward-inversion with FMI loggings were applied to analyse and evaluate the buried hill reservoirs and gave satisfying results. The reservoir prediction was successful, which confirmed that the comprehensive utilization of these methods can be helpful in the exploration of buried hill reservoirs.

On SAR wind speed ambiguities and related geophysical model functions

Recent investigations show that normalized radar cross sections for C-band microwave sensors decrease under high wind conditions with certain incident angles instead of increase, as is the case for low to moderate wind speeds. This creates the problem of ambiguities in high wind speed retrievals from synthetic aperture radar (SAR). In the present work, four geophysical model functions (GMFs) are studied, namely the high wind C-band model 4 (CMOD4HW), C-band model 5 (CMOD5), the high wind vertical polarized GMF (HWGMF_VV), and the high wind horizontal polarized GMF (HWGMF_HH). Our focus is on model behaviours relative to wind speed ambiguities. We show that, except for CMOD4HW, the other GMFs exhibit the wind speed ambiguity problem. To consider this problem in high wind speed retrievals from SAR, we focus on hurricanes and propose a method to remove the speed ambiguity using the dominant hurricane wind structure.

地震数据波动方程反演方法研究

Geophysical inversion is a theory that transforms the observation data into corresponding geophysical models. The goal of seismic inversion is not only wave velocity models, but also the fine structures and dynamic process of interior of the earth, expanding to more parameters such as density, aeolotropism, viscosity and so on. As is known to all, Inversion theory is divided to linear and non-linear inversion theories. In rencent 40 years linear inversion theory has formed into a complete and systematic theory and found extensive applications in practice. While there are still many urgent problems to be solved in non-linear inversion theory and practice. Based on wave equation, this dissertation has been mainly involved in the theoretical research of several non-linear inversion methods: waveform inversion, traveltime inversion and the joint inversion about two methods. The objective of gradient waveform inversion is to find a geologic model, thus synthetic seismograms generated by this geologic model are best fitted to observed seismograms. Contrasting with other inverse methods, waveform inversion uses all characteristics of waveform and has high resolution capacity. But waveform inversion is an interface by interface method. An artificial parameter limit should be provided in each inversion iteration. In addition, waveform information will tend to get stuck in local minima if the starting model is too far from the actual model. Based on velocity scanning in traditional seismic data processing, a layer-by-layer waveform inversion method is developed in this dissertation to deal with weaknesses of waveform inversion. Wave equation is used to calculate the traveltime and derivative (perturbation of traveltime with respect to velocity) in wave-equation traveltime inversion (WT). Unlike traditional ray-based travetime inversion, WT has many advantages. No ray tracing or traveltime picking and no high frequency assumption is necessary and good result can be got while starting model is far from real model. But, comparing with waveform inversion, WT has low resolution. Waveform inversion and WT have complementary advantages and similar algorithm, which proves that the joint inversion is a better inversion method. And another key point which this dissertation emphasizes is how to give fullest play to their complementary advantages on the premise of no increase of storage spaces and amount of calculation. Numerical tests are implemented to prove the feasibility of inversion methods mentioned above in this dissertation. Especially for gradient waveform inversion, field data are inversed. This field data are acquired by our group in Wali park and Shunyi district. Real data processing shows there are many problems for waveform inversion to deal with real data. The matching of synthetic seismograms with observed seismograms and noise cancellation are two primary problems. In conclusion, on the foundation of the former experiences, this dissertation has implemented waveform inversions on the basis of acoustic wave equation and elastic wave equation, traveltime inversion on the basis of acoustic wave equation and traditional combined waveform traveltime inversion. Besides the traditional analysis of inversion theory, there are two innovations: layer by layer inversion of seimic reflection data inversion and rapid method for acoustic wave-equation joint inversion.

复杂介质边界元法数值模拟研究

A major impetus to study the rough surface and complex structure in near surface model is because accuracy of seismic observation and geophysical prospecting can be improved. Wave theory study about fluid-satuated porous media has important significance for some scientific problems, such as explore underground resources, study of earth's internal structure, and structure response of multi-phase porous soil under dynamic and seismic effect. Seismic wave numerical modeling is one of the effective methods which understand seismic propagation rules in complex media. As a numerical simulation method, boundary element methods had been widely used in seismic wave field study. This paper mainly studies randomly rough surface scattering which used some approximation solutions based on boundary element method. In addition, I developed a boundary element solution for fluid saturated porous media. In this paper, we used boundary element methods which based on integral expression of wave equation to study the free rough surface scattering effects of Kirchhoff approximation method, Perturbation approximation method, Rytov approximation method and Born series approximation method. Gaussian spectrum model of randomly rough surfaces was chosen as the benchmark model. The approximation methods result were compared with exact results which obtained by boundary element methods, we study that the above approximation methods were applicable how rough surfaces and it is founded that this depends on and ( here is the wavenumber of the incident field, is the RMS height and is the surface correlation length ). In general, Kirchhoff approximation which ignores multiple scatterings between any two surface points has been considered valid for the large-scale roughness components. Perturbation theory based on Taylor series expansion is valid for the small-scale roughness components, as and are .Tests with the Gaussian topographies show that the Rytov approximation methods improves the Kirchhoff approximation in both amplitude and phase but at the cost of an extra treatment of transformation for the wave fields. The realistic methods for the multiscale surfaces come with the Born series approximation and the second-order Born series approximation might be sufficient to guarantee the accuracy of randomly rough surfaces. It could be an appropriate choice that a complex rough surface can be divided into large-, medium-, and small-scale roughness components with their scattering features be studied by the Kirchhoff or Rytov phase approximations, the Born series approximation, and the perturbation theory, respectively. For this purpose, it is important to select appropriate parameters that separate these different scale roughness components to guarantee the divided surfaces satisfy the physical assumptions of the used approximations, respectively. In addition, in this paper, the boundary element methods are used for solving the porous elastic wave propagation and carry out the numerical simulation. Based on the fluid-saturated porous model, this paper analyses and presents the dynamic equation of elastic wave propagation and boundary integral equation formulation of fluid saturated porous media in frequency domain. The fundamental solutions of the elastic wave equations are obtained according to the similarity between thermoelasticity and poroelasticity. At last, the numerical simulation of the elastic wave propagation in the two-phase isotropic media is carried out by using the boundary element method. The results show that a slow quasi P-wave can be seen in both solid and fluid wave-field synthetic seismograms. The boundary element method is effective and feasible.

油气藏自然电位异常与油气赋存的相关性研究

The Stack Spontaneous Potential (SSP) is a direct hydrocarbon location technology and a new hydrocarbon detection method with independent intellectual property. A subsurface hydrocarbon accumulation associated with the upward hydrocarbon micro seepage induces a relatively strong negative potential abnormal zone, of which the anomaly can be measured on the surface with specially designed instruments through careful field measuring procedures. With special software programmed according to a unique geochemical and geophysical model, the original data are analyzed, processed and interpreted on the computer, and then on a series of resulting anomaly distribution maps and/or profiles, the favorable surface locations of the hydrocarbon accumulations can be easily identified. The study of the SSP has been started since 1989, and especially from 1996 to 1997, both profile and area tests were conducted in the Daqing Oilfield. On the testing line of 15kms, there are 6 wells in total, among which some are oil-producing wells, and some are water-producing wells. The final matching ratio of the favorable oil well locations and the possible water well locations predicted by the SSP to those of known wells was up to 83 percent. In the area test, of which the acreage is 800 km2, the matching ratio compared with the existing wells was 87 percent; furthermore, regarding to wells subsequently drilled after the test, the matching ratio was 85 percent. The matching ratio in the development area is more about 10 percent than those of in exploration area. The reason is that, comparing the exploration area, the development area acreage is less and the container rocks are more simplex. In development area there is not so much interference of SSP also. Since 1997 the SSP has been tested and applied all over China to a number of hydrocarbon bearing basins and known oil fields, including the Daqing, Jiangsu, Changqing, Shengli, Nanyang, Jianghan and Zhongyuan Oilfields, only to name a few. The SSP surveys in total areas of over 10,000km2 in more than 30 regions in China so far have been completed in various exploration and development stages, the satisfactory outcomes of which have further evidenced that the dependence between the SP anomaly and abundance of hydrocarbon. Up to date, a substantial amount of successful tests and actual surveys finished in exploration and development practices have evidenced that the SSP is significantly more reliable in comparison with any other similar direct hydrocarbon indication technique generally known to the oil industry, such as the Redox. The SSP can be applied to search for almost all kinds of hydrocarbon accumulations, regardless of the type of traps, such as structural, stratigraphic, buried hill traps, and so on; however, it is interesting to be noted that the SSP seems to be particularly effective in detecting the stratigraphic oil traps according to our practices. On the other hand, there is virtually no surface geographical constrains in terms of field data acquisition, except for those water covered areas, because of the inherent characteristics of the technology itself. Furthermore, utilizing the SSP requires no special considerations to subsurface geological conditions in regard to formation resistivity, since the SSP measurements will not be influenced by either overly high or overly low resistivity of formations lying above the hydrocarbon accumulations. There are two kind of theory, of which, as we know one is called hypbyssal theory such as "Redox"[61 the other is call plutonic theory such as cracking of hydrocarbon [8][9] and natural polarization [3], to describe the mechanism of SP anomaly of oil reservoir and to indicate that the dependence between the SP abnormality and abundance of hydrocarbon has be existed theoretically/The quantitative dependence, which has not been founded due to the complicity of container rocks, be discovered during the exploration and development practices is the crux to the quantitative analysis of SP Anomaly processing. Based on the thorough study of the complex of collector rocks, every kind of thickness of collector rock can be conversed to be a standard effective thickness; the thickness is called apparent effective thickness (AET). The conversation coefficient (ai, 1=1,2,3) could be determined by the variety of every collector rock storability (CRS). The discoveration of quantitative: dependence between AET and the amplitude of SSP, in the practices of exploration and development, is a promotion for the SSP supplied in the oil exploration, and make the data analysis forward to the quantitative stage.