Process for interpreting faults from a fault-enhanced 3-dimensional seismic attribute volume

A method for extracting faults from a 3-D seismic attribute cube, the method comprising:

• reading a composite fault fragment into a 3-D lattice of finite size into a computer memory;
• and
• constructing a best-fit plane from adjacent connected points within the 3-D lattice.

A method of correlating individual fault patches into realistic representations of geologic faults comprising:

• scanning individual fault patches to determine whether two individual fault patches are close to each other for further evaluation;
• and
• if the individual fault patches are determined to be close, then automatically correlating associated adjacent individual fault patches that fit a geometric criteria of co-planarity based on pre-determined parameters of minimum distance and angles between the patches.

A method for extracting faults from a 3-D seismic attribute cube, the method comprising:

• calculating a 3-D minimum path value for each voxel of the 3-D seismic attribute cube;
• and
• combining the 3-D minimum path value at each voxel with the 3-D seismic attribute cube to extract a fault network skeleton.

A method of subdividing a fault segment comprising

• flood filling a fault network to identify a plurality of fault segments, labeling the fault segments, and creating a vector description of the fault segments;
• and
• subdividing the fault segments to create the smallest, non-intersecting, non-bifurcating patches that lie on only one geologic fault.

A computer-readable medium containing executable code for extracting faults from a 3-D seismic attribute cube, which when executed performs procedures of:

• reading a composite fault fragment into a 3-D lattice of finite size into a computer memory;
• and
• constructing a best-fit plane from adjacent connected points within the 3-D lattice.

A computer-readable medium containing executable code of correlating individual fault patches into realistic representations of geologic faults which when executed performs procedures of:

• scanning individual fault patches to determine whether two individual fault patches are close to each other for further evaluation;
• and
• if the individual fault patches are determined to be close, then automatically correlating associated adjacent individual fault patches that fit a geometric criteria of co-planarity based on pre-determined parameters of minimum distance and angles between the patches.

A computer-readable medium containing executable code for extracting faults from a 3-D seismic attribute cube, which when executed performs procedures of:

• calculating a 3-D minimum path value for each voxel of the 3-D seismic attribute cube;
• and
• combining the 3-D minimum path value at each voxel with the 3-D seismic attribute cube to extract a fault network skeleton.

A computer-readable medium containing executable code of subdividing a fault segment which when executed performs procedures of:

• flood filling a fault network to identify a plurality of fault segments, labeling the fault segments, and creating a vector description of the fault segments;
• and
• subdividing the fault segments to create the smallest, non-intersecting, non-bifurcating patches that lie on only one geologic fault.