Integrating basin modeling with seismic technology and rock physics

We explore the link between basin modelling and seismic inversion by applying different rock physics models. This study uses the E‐Dragon II data in the Gulf of Mexico. To investigate the impact of different rock physics models on the link between basin modelling and seismic inversion, we first model relationships between seismic velocities and both (1) porosity and (2) effective stress for well‐log data using published rock physics models. Then, we build 1D basin models to predict seismic velocities derived from basin modelling with different rock physics models, in a comparison with average sonic velocities measured in the wells. Finally, we examine how basin modelling outputs can be used to aid seismic inversion by providing constraints for the background low‐frequency model. For this, we run different scenarios of inverting near angle partial stack seismic data into elastic impedances to test the impact of the background model on the quality of the inversion results. The results of the study suggest that the link between basin modelling and seismic technology is a two‐way interaction in terms of potential applications, and the key to refine it is establishing a rock physics models that properly describes changes in seismic signatures reflecting changes in rock properties.