Seismic attribute selection for machine-learning-based facies analysis

Interpreters face two main challenges in seismic facies analysis. The first challenge is to define, or “label,” the facies of interest. The second challenge is to select a suite of attributes that can differentiate a target facies from the background reflectivity. Our key objective is to determine which seismic attributes can best differentiate one class of chaotic seismic facies from another using modern machine-learning technology. Although simple 1D histograms provide a list of candidate attributes, they do not provide insight into the optimum number or combination of attributes. To address this limitation, we have conducted an exhaustive search whereby we represent the target and background training facies by high-dimensional Gaussian mixture models (GMMs) for each potential attribute combination. The first step is to choose candidate attributes that may be able to differentiate chaotic mass-transport deposits and salt diapirs from the more conformal, coherent background reflectors. The second step is to draw polygons around the target and background facies to provide the labeled data to be represented by GMMs. Maximizing the distance between all GMM facies pairs provides the optimum number and combination of attributes. We use generative topographic mapping to represent the high-dimensional attribute data by a lower dimensional 2D manifold. Each labeled facies provides a probability density function on the manifold that can be compared to the probability density function of each voxel, providing the likelihood that a given voxel is a member of each of the facies. Our first example maps chaotic seismic facies associated with the development of salt diapirs and minibasins. Our second example successfully delineates karst collapse underlying a shale resource play from north Texas.