Analysis of compressional‐ and shear‐wave seismic data from the Prudhoe Bay field

Abstract

During the last 5–10 years, there has been a considerable effort to test the use of shear‐wave seismic data in exploration. One application, which has had mixed results, is the prediction of subsurface lithology. In 1983 Exxon Production Research Company, in cooperation with Exxon Company USA, recorded compressional‐ and shear‐wave seismic data across the Prudhoe Bay field in Alaska. The survey’s primary purpose was to determine the feasibility of identifying subsurface lithology through an analysis of interval velocities and interval traveltime ratios. This case study is one example which demonstrates that it is possible to identify the gross lithology of a depositional sequence using compressional‐ and shear‐wave seismic data.