Seismic window

Abstract

I was chatting at a networking lunch recently, and the discussion turned to passive seismic, or more specifically, using passive seismic to distinguish hydrocarbons from water in a subsurface reservoir. Passive seismic records data from naturally occurring seismic events rather than from a controlled source. The method is commonly used to monitor micro-seismic events, to map fracture lengths following hydraulic stimulation, or to record tele-seismic arrivals to map crustal structure, but using passive seismic to differentiate fluid fill was new. Or so I thought. But, after some follow up, I found it had been used in Eastern Europe for at least 10 years and possibly for over forty years. Closer to home, several surveys have been carried out in recent years by The Geological Survey of Western Australia to map the thickness of sedimentary overburden (Figure 1). The passive method is cheap, environmentally friendly and can detect hydrocarbons directly just what we need in this day and age.