High‐resolution reverse VSP and interwell seismic experiments at the Buckhorn Test Site in Illinois

Abstract

Reverse Vertical Seismic Profiling VSP and interwell seismic experiments were conducted at the Western Kentucky Petroleum Buckhorn test site near Quincy, Illinois. The RVSP data were acquired using a 3-component pneumatic probe and the interwell seismic data were acquired using a 24-element hydrophone array. The experiments were conducted to analyze high resolution seismic waveforms and to perform travel time velocity inversion for mapping the Silurian Kankakee formation which is the more prolific oil producer in the Mt. Sterling area. Reverse VSP and interwell seismic measurements together with log data have yielded information on the anisotropic characteristic of the shale formation and in the compressional wave velocity distribution of the limestone formation. These results inferred that reverse VSP (using several 3-component detectors in shallow boreholes) and interwell seismic measurements integrated with log data and seismic modeling can delineate the hydrocarbon reservoir and geological structures at the Buckhorn test site.