SEISMIC INTERPRETATION AND STRATIGRAPHY USING OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE

Open source software allows users to freely download, edit and customize programs to suit needs. In the case of seismic interpretation, open source platforms allow students to develop interpretation proficiency without requiring expensive licenses or training. This research presents a series of exercises that have been developed to take advantage of this new classroom tool. Visualizing stratigraphic and structural features in seismic volumes is an important industry skill; moreover, it complements field- and lab-based learning in the geosciences.

The software used in this study is OpendTect by dGB Earth Sciences. In addition to the software platform, dGB hosts an Open Seismic Repository (OSR), a database containing free seismic surveys from various geologic settings. These include: 1) Netherlands Offshore F3 Block (3D); 2) Laurentian Basin Canada (2D); 3) USGS Central Alaska (2D); 4) Penobscot Survey Offshore Nova Scotia (3D); 5) Blake Ridge Hydrates (3D); and 6) Beaufort Sea (2D). The exercises in this research are based on the F3 Block in the Dutch sector of the North Sea, a fluvio-deltaic system of interbedded sand and shale with sigmoidal bedding (clinoforms) and localized salt structures. Well logs for four wells in the area are available, and a series of publications on the local geology are listed in the OSR.

Ten geoscience education exercises build skills of seismic imaging interpretation. Content topics include: 1) seismic sequence stratigraphy; 2) halokinesis; 3) petroleum exploration; 4) gas migration; and 5) extensional tectonics. None of the labs require prior experience with the software to be completed. Additionally, students are introduced to standard interpretation workflows such as matching seismic to well data and importing/exporting features for 3D modeling.

The educational objectives of this research were developed as part of an Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Activity (URECA) study at Tennessee Technological University. Exercises will be field tested in undergraduate courses in the TTU Earth Sciences department in 2014-2015. Pre-exercise and post-exercise student response surveys will be used to assess learning. Survey results will be used to revise exercises as needed, and final versions will be hosted on a TTU weblog, freely available for academic and individual use.