Introduction and review

Abstract

The application of geophysical technology in the exploration for, and appraisal of, hydrocarbon accumulations in the basins of northwest Europe is a fundamental part of the exploration process. As exploration in the North Sea matures and geo-scientists are evaluating prospects of ever decreasing size, the ability to image both the geometry of the trap and the nature of the material contained within the trap is of paramount importance. Although exploration on the Atlantic margin is at a relatively immature phase, the recently discovered large fields are combination structural/stratigraphic traps and are therefore best illuminated with state-of-the-art geophysics. Appraisal and development drilling is also reliant on high quality seismic data to map both the distribution and quality of reservoirs across fields. The complex nature of the exploration targets and the inhomogeneity of reservoirs continually challenge geophysicists to improve techniques from acquisition through processing to innovative interpretative analysis. The five years since the 4th Conference on the ‘Petroleum Geology of Northwest Europe’ (Parker 1993) have seen tremendous advances in seismic processing which has sustained exploration in areas where the prospects are relatively small. There are nine papers in this section of the Proceedings. Three relate to innovative seismic acquisition techniques. The paper by Leach describes the use of the vertical cable seismic technique on the Strathspey Field in the North Viking Graben. The technique deploys cables suspended vertically in the water column with hydrophones located along the cables. The processed data are significantly improved when compared to the pre-existing data. . .