RGB colour blending is a powerful technique of co-visualization of different band-limited magnitude volumes created by frequency decomposition. The aims of this study were to investigate the impact of changes in geometry and acoustic impedance on what we observe in a blend of frequency magnitude volumes, and to examine how sensitive different methods of frequency decomposition are to these variations. We present a comparison of frequency decomposition methods applied to the Hermod Member submarine fan system, a well understood fan system from the Northern North Sea, and to simple synthetic models. Observations made from RGB imaging are compared to equivalent results from synthetic models created using well measurements and systematic variations in reservoir parameters. We show that thickness variations between events are the dominant factor controlling RGB colour response and that subtle lithological changes, presented as differences in acoustic impedance, are a second order effect. Furthermore, when the source frequency and decomposition bands of a synthetic wedge model are matched to a real dataset, we can relate colour values directly to thicknesses. In doing so we extend the classical tuning wedge for use as a calibration tool for frequency decomposition colour blends.
Volume attribute computation is an accepted part of mainstream interpretation workflows. Perhaps counter-intuitively, attribute generation is powerful because it creates data sets that show only a subset of the information available in the original seismic. By reducing the information content, it is easier to focus on those aspects of the seismic response that help differentiate particular aspects of the imaged geology. Seismic attributes often measure properties of the seismic signal and the trace-to-trace variation in seismic signal that have an opaque relationship to rock properties. Therefore, interpretation of such attributes is generally based on identification of geologically reasonable scenarios. This can be greatly facilitated by examining multiple attributes simultaneously in a spatially coregistered manner—to either increase the differentiation between features of interest or to the show the relationship between different types of seismic response. A powerful way to achieve this is the use of color-blending techniques (Henderson et al., 2007) (Figure 1). Color blending effectively illuminates the geology, but consequently creates a complex image in which the information is hard to access other than visually. Accurate extraction of the information perceived within a color blend is one of the interpretation challenges associated with the improvements in visualization technology.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.