This inventive method provides a novel way of modeling basins in planning the drilling of crude oil and natural gas wells by accounting for thermodynamic considerations in tracking the pore pressure of a location of interest. By plotting the energy gradients, heat flux, and thermal conductivity of the location of interest, the user can more accurately identify the location of the Top of Geopressure and additional pertinent information during the well drilling planning process that can reduce costs and increase the safety of the process.

Provided are methods of reducing water consumption in a fracturing operation. The methods can include imaging a geologic formation surrounding a borehole using a downhole tool within the borehole. The method can further include identifying, within the image, fractures conducive to hydrocarbon production; correlating the fractures conducive to hydrocarbon production to fracture zones; and selecting locations of the fracture zones to be hydraulically fractured, wherein the selected locations collectively represent less than the axial length of the borehole, thereby reducing water consumption compared to hydraulic fracturing along an entirety of the axial length.

A method for seismic geological lineation mapping, wherein a seismic dataset is collected, with information about minor lineations generated by subtle structural geological features in an underground earth formation. Seismic attribute volumes are identified in the seismic dataset, relating to trace continuity, amplitude, frequency and phase. The attribute volumes may have an insufficient resolution to display the minor lineations. A seismic multivolume lithological lineation map is generated, in which single attribute lineation maps generated for each of the identified seismic attribute volumes are combined to accurately display the minor lineations generated by the subtle geological features.

A method may include determining a portion of a microscale fracture using a well log acquired for a stratigraphic interval of interest. The method may further include obtaining seismic data for the stratigraphic interval of interest. The method may further include determining a seismic attribute that correlates the microscale fracture to a subset of the seismic data. The method may further include generating an attribute volume using the seismic attribute with a seismic volume for a region of interest. The method may further include generating, using the attribute volume, a fracture image of the microscale fracture throughout the region of interest.

A method for seismic data processing can include obtaining seismic data acquired based upon trigger times and not based upon positions of triggered source elements. The seismic data can include near-continuously recorded seismic data in split records. The split records can be spliced together into a single near-continuous record to produce a trace with seismic data from a single acquired line. The seismic data can be processed by performing a spatial shift for each of a number of time samples to correct for motion of a number of seismic receivers.

A method for seismic data acquisition can include near-continuously recording seismic data received from a number of seismic receivers and triggering a plurality of source elements, based upon time and not based upon position, at a predefined sequence of times relative to a start of a near-continuous recording.

A method for seismic data processing can include obtaining seismic data acquired based upon trigger times and not based upon positions of triggered source elements. The seismic data can include near-continuously recorded seismic data in split records. The split records can be spliced together into a single near-continuous record to produce a trace with seismic data from a single acquired line. The seismic data can be processed by performing a spatial shift for each of a number of time samples to correct for motion of a number of seismic receivers.

The combination of one or more 3-component microseismic sensors deployed into a wellbore adjacent a microseismic event and a linear array of distributed fiber optic acoustic sensors deployed uphole thereof provides two sets of data for establishing noise-free signals for locating the microseismic event in the formation about the wellbore. The distributed fiber optic signals monitor noise transmitted along coiled tubing used to pump a completion operation or as a result of the fluid flowing through the casing or coiled tubing, or along wireline used to deploy the microseismic sensors. The noise is mapped and extrapolated for estimating noise at the 3-component sensors. The estimated noise is removed from the 3-component sensor data for producing clean signals representing the location of the microseismic events.

A visualization system for providing a preview of data obtained in a borehole and available for selection and a helmet for visualization and monitoring are described. The visualization system includes a processor configured to process the data based on user input and instructions and provide output for display on a display device; a computer-readable medium configured to store the instructions, the instructions including commands to output values of two or more types of parameters at two or more depth values for display; and a helmet including a visor configured to display the values of the two or more types of parameters at the two or more depth values.