Increasing the quality of seismic interpretation

Euan J. Macrae; Clare E. Bond; Zoe K. Shipton; Rebecca J. Lunn

doi:10.1190/INT-2015-0218.1

Increasing the quality of seismic interpretation

Euan J. Macrae, Clare E. Bond, Zoe K. Shipton, Rebecca J. Lunn

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Abstract

Geological models are based on the interpretation of spatially sparse and limited resolution datasets. Non-unique interpretations often exist, resulting in commercial, safety and environmental risk. We survey 444 experienced geoscientists to assess the validity of their interpretations of a seismic section for which multiple concepts honor the data. The most statistically significant influential factor in improving interpretation was writing about geological time. A randomized controlled trial identified for the first time a significant causal link between being explicitly requested to considering describe the temporal geological evolution of an interpretation and increased interpretation quality. These results have important implications for interpreting geological data and communicating uncertainty in models.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	T395-T402
Number of pages	8
Journal	Interpretation
Volume	4
Issue number	3
Early online date	14 Jul 2016
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1190/INT-2015-0218.1
Publication status	Published - Aug 2016

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10.1190/INT-2015-0218.1Licence: CC BY

Increasing the quality of seismic interpretation
© The Authors.Published by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All article content, except where otherwise noted (including republished material), is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License (CC BY). See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part commercially or noncommercially requires full attribution of the original publication, including its digital object identifier (DOI)
Final published version, 2.16 MBLicence: CC BY

Clare Bond
- School of Geosciences, Geology and Geophysics - Personal Chair
- Centre for Energy Transition
Person: Academic

Informing decision-making and training in subsurface industries
Clare Bond (Coordinator), Rob Butler (Participant) & Juan Alcalde (Participant)
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title = "Increasing the quality of seismic interpretation",

abstract = "Geological models are based on the interpretation of spatially sparse and limited resolution datasets. Non-unique interpretations often exist, resulting in commercial, safety and environmental risk. We survey 444 experienced geoscientists to assess the validity of their interpretations of a seismic section for which multiple concepts honor the data. The most statistically significant influential factor in improving interpretation was writing about geological time. A randomized controlled trial identified for the first time a significant causal link between being explicitly requested to considering describe the temporal geological evolution of an interpretation and increased interpretation quality. These results have important implications for interpreting geological data and communicating uncertainty in models.",

author = "Macrae, {Euan J.} and Bond, {Clare E.} and Shipton, {Zoe K.} and Lunn, {Rebecca J.}",

note = "Acknowledgments E. Macrae was funded by an NERC Open CASE Ph.D. award (NE/F013728/1) with Midland Valley Exploration Ltd. as the industry partner. We thank 763 geoscientists for their participation, and in particular, the REs who gave their time freely to the project. M. Scott (University of Glasgow, UK) is thanked for assisting with the statistical analysis. Four reviewers are thanked for their constructive comments that improved the manuscript. ",

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AB - Geological models are based on the interpretation of spatially sparse and limited resolution datasets. Non-unique interpretations often exist, resulting in commercial, safety and environmental risk. We survey 444 experienced geoscientists to assess the validity of their interpretations of a seismic section for which multiple concepts honor the data. The most statistically significant influential factor in improving interpretation was writing about geological time. A randomized controlled trial identified for the first time a significant causal link between being explicitly requested to considering describe the temporal geological evolution of an interpretation and increased interpretation quality. These results have important implications for interpreting geological data and communicating uncertainty in models.

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DO - 10.1190/INT-2015-0218.1

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JO - Interpretation

JF - Interpretation

SN - 2324-8858

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ER -

Increasing the quality of seismic interpretation

Abstract

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Clare Bond

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Informing decision-making and training in subsurface industries

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