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Mississippi Delta Transition Zone

Acquire insights from La Fourche, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, and more

The Mississippi Delta Depth I–IV and Cameron-Vermilion Depth 1 surveys are of areas with well-established production, but both offer further exploration opportunities, especially at greater depths than explored by previous drilling (deeper than 20,000 ft).

Improved imaging around salt flanks and overhangs should also lead to identification of new targets.

The Cameron-Vermilion Depth 1 survey of ultradeep structures at the Lower Tertiary Frio and Wilcox levels also suggests additional opportunities.

Map showing the Mississippi Delta transition-zone depth imaging.

Survey challenges, processing, and interpretation

Transition from land to water
Poor data resulting from low signal-to-noise ratio
Statics issues, including large mud lump and trench features
Merge of 11 land surveys acquired with various energy sources
Multiples and interbed multiples
Anisotropic velocity model building

Processing highlights

To address the extreme statics found in traditional transition zones, these surveys were processed with

diving-wave tomography
refraction tomography
refraction and reflection statics routines.

Once the preprocessing has been completed, we can begin depth imaging with full-azimuth tomography for improved anisotropic velocity model building and with improved multiple attenuation that results from better near-offset coverage.

Diving-Wave Tomography

Robust near-surface velocity modeling

Generate a near-surface velocity model for reflection tomography iterations in a depth migration workflow or for statics calculations.

Shallow Geohazard Assessment

Predrill shallow geohazard delineation

Identify, map, and delineate seafloor, shallow subsurface geologic, and constructed features.

General Deterministic Water-Layer Demultiple

Effective attenuation of shallow-water-layer multiples

Overcome limitations of conventional demultiple approaches using a model-based method.