Correlating curvature to fault propogation in clay modeled transfer zones

Abstract

Summary Transfer zones are common hydrocarbon traps in extensional tectonic structures. A transfer zone is an area where one fault dies out and its slip is transferred to an adjacent fault. Transfer zones are commonly divided into three categories, convergent, divergent and synthetic, based on the dip of the faults. These zones can be quite subtle and little has been published on their signature in seismic data. Because of the complexity associated with transfer zones and their secondary faults, seismic attributes could prove to be valuable tools. Many of the secondary faults that occur in the proximity of a transfer zone may be below seismic resolution; however, these faults may provide an attribute expression that could aid the interpreter to infer their presence. In this study we compute the curvature of a suite of clay models of transfer zones. We then compare the curvature “attribute” to the underlying faults and fractures seen in the clay model. In this manner we provide a simple analogue model of how curvature, a measure of strain, is correlated to sub-seismic features of interest that can aid in the understanding and interpretation of transfer zone