HR: 1330h
AN: T43C-03    [Abstracts]
TI: Volume Based Curvature Attributes Illuminate Stress Effects in Contiguous Fault Blocks, Central Basin Platform, West Texas
AU: * Blumentritt, C H
EM: cblumtritt@aol.com
AF: University of Houston, 504 Science and Research Bldg 1 Room 504, Houston, TX 77204-5006 United States
AU: Marfurt, K J
EM: kjmarfurt@uh.edu
AF: University of Houston, 504 Science and Research Bldg 1 Room 504, Houston, TX 77204-5006 United States
AB: We compute curvatures for 3-D seismic volumes covering 200+ mi2 of the Central Basin Platform in West Texas and find that these attributes illumination lineations not seen on other displays of the seismic data. We analyze the preferred orientations of these lineations defined by well imaged faults and fault zones and find that the patterns vary according to the nature of the faults bounding the blocks, mostly strike-slip, high angle reverse, or oblique slip. We perform the analysis in the pre-Mississippian section which is decoupled from the overburden by a Permian age unconformity. Our technique differs from that of previous workers in that we compute curvatures on each sample of a seismic volume using a moving subvolume rather than along surfaces interpreted from the data. In this way, we minimize high frequency variations in the results that arise from picking errors in the interpretation or noise in the data. We are able to extract and display values of curvature along time or depth slices, along horizon slices, and along poorly imaged horizons.
DE: 8010 Fractures and faults
DE: 8025 Mesoscopic fabrics
DE: 8102 Continental contractional orogenic belts
SC: Tectonophysics [T]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly