Abstract
There are various methods to restore horizon surfaces. As in cross-section balancing, either simple shear deformation mode or flexural slip approach can be proposed. The first mode of deformation preserves the distances in a given direction, whereas the second one preserves the length and angles on the surface, i.e. the areas. After a presentation of the methods, we will discuss on a case study the information about the correctness of the geometry as well as the dilatation and internal strain directions that could be deduced from restoration.
The studied area consists on a set of thrust sheets located in the southern Sub-Andean Zone in the Neogene Andean Foothills of Bolivia. The hydrocarbon targets are quite deep and located on the hinge of steep anticlines where the seismic images show a poor resolution. Balancing techniques are therefore crucial for the definition of the target. Because the reservoir, lower Devonian in age, is tight, the quantification of the strain is expected to predict the fractures. Surface restoration process allows to compute a strain field. Results, eigen values, main strain direction and dilatation, will be shown for the top reservoir of one of the structures. Because the computed internal strain tensor is highly dependent on the method used for the restoration, we will describe which results can be expect from each method.
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Moretti, I., Delos, V., Letouzey, J., Otero, A., Calvo, J.C. (2007). The Use of Surface Restoration in Foothills Exploration: Theory and Application to the Sub-Andean Zone of Bolivia. In: Lacombe, O., Roure, F., Lavé, J., Vergés, J. (eds) Thrust Belts and Foreland Basins. Frontiers in Earth Sciences. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69426-7_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69426-7_8
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