Oasis montaj Guided Learning Paths

Voxel Assisted Layered Earth Modelling

Geosofts Voxel Assisted Layered Earth Modelling (VALEM) solution is a hybrid inversion approach that combines the
best from different modelling approaches and calculation algorithms, and seamlessly integrates with GM-SYS 3D, to
provide an improved, interactive solution for base of salt and sub-salt interpretation.
VALEM enables you to perform voxel based gravity inversion to improve the delineation of base of salt/sub-salt boundaries
where interpretation based on seismic data alone is challenging or impossible. These techniques help to eliminate
uncertainty during the interpretation and target selection process, reducing risk and cost when advancing oil and gas
exploration programs in sub-salt regions.
This guide lesson outlines some tips to getting started with VALEM and does not provide a comprehensive How-To Guide
on model building with GM-SYS 3D. Please visit http://my.geosoft.com/supportcentre for additional information or contact
your assigned Technical Analyst for help with any of the included topics.
In order to use VALEM you need to:
Have a basic knowledge of gravity modelling and experience using GM-SYS 3D.
Have a working project where a sub-salt problem needs to be solved.
Have the ability to connect to the VALEM service.
A Geosoft ID and a reasonable broadband internet connection are required to connect to Geosoft's cloud service.

Understanding VALEM
The VALEM inversion workflow runs within GM-SYS 3D. Once a model is created within GM-SYS 3D, VALEM can be
used to run an inversion on the base of salt over the entire model area, or a selected region of interest. The computation is
performed using the VALEM cloud service a version of the Geosoft VOXI Earth Modelling service that is optimized for
solving the base of salt problem in layered earth modelling. A refined base of salt layer is returned by the inversion service
to GM-SYS 3D and is incorporated into the model.

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Since VALEM is integrated wholly within GM-SYS 3D, there are some default behaviours that must be considered before
performing a VALEM inversion.

Important Considerations in GM-SYS 3D

Automatic Grid Fill
GM-SYS 3D will automatically fill dummy values within a grid in order to ensure that it matches the extent of the model
space. This default behaviour makes model building easy but may create regions in your model that are not optimal for
inversion. It is important to be cognisant of these areas in your model, since if selected in your region of interest, the
inversion algorithm will attempt to fit these erroneous data points. We recommend that you use real data in your observed
survey or at the very least a geologically reasonable interpolation in order to focus the inversion's data fit on reasonable
values.
In previous versions of GM-SYS 3D, rotated models were not permitted and so grid filling was required at the corners of the
model. With the VALEM workflow in mind, GM-SYS 3D now supports rotated models.
Automatic Voxel Fill
Each property voxel imported into the model must be devoid of dummies to the spatial extent of the 3D model. This ensures
that moving or deleting layers does not create voids in the model. GM-SYS 3D will automatically fill dummies in voxels, but
there are tools within Oasis montaj to do this manually. For VALEM, it is best to take care when filling voxel dummies as
with grid filling, the more geologically sensible the fill, the better the inversion result.
VALEM models must include a hypothesised density distribution for the material that can be used to fill the model where
salt is removed. The inversion algorithm will then choose between a constant salt density and the background fill density,
and then add salt to the model until an optimum data fit is achieved. The success of the VALEM model will depend greatly
on the choice of background fill density, therefore it is recommended to use geologically reasonable values.

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Figure 1: East-West cross section through the SEAM density volume with the allochthonous salt body removed. The
surface identifies the known top of allochthonous salt. The salt was replaced by interpolating from the sides in a
conformable manner. This was the starting model for VALEM inversion.
Piercing Information
You may wish to specify layers that can be pierced (altered) by the movement of the salt/sediment boundary. The default
for the lowest extent of the active volume is the first non-piercable layer.
DC Shift
Ideally, you'll want the misfit between the observed and calculated gravity response to be due only to the missing salt. This
will not always be the case (in the real world) as there will be uncertainty in the remainder of the model that will affect the
misfit. It is therefore crucial that the background model and DC shift be set, to the users' best ability, to ensure the best
possible VALEM result. If the DC shift is incorrect the VALEM result can end up having too much salt, or none at all.
Vertical Expansion of Cells
In cases where your base of salt extends to significant depth, you'll want to maintain the resolution of your model. In these
instances, it is recommended to reduce the vertical expansion of your cells to ~1. Try values between 1 and 1.05 for best
effect.
FFT Expansion Percentage
It is recommended to set your expansion percentage such that the total model extent is twice the length of the largest
wavelength you'd like to be able to recover in the model. For example, for a model that is 50mx50m, you must set your FFT
expansion percentage to at least 100% to recover a wavelength of 50m in your forward calculation. This is analogous to the
use of padding cells in forward modelling within the spatial domain.

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The VALEM Inversion Service

VALEM uses the Microsoft Azure cloud service to perform the inversion calculation. The optimisation of the model for
inversion is performed in the background and is consequently not user adjustable. The inversion service is optimized for
fast and effective hybrid layered earth modelling.
The model created for inversion is "residualised" that is, we've subtracted what is known leaving the kernel of what is
unknown.The following paragraphs explain how the GM-SYS 3D model is prepared for inversion and are for information
purposes only.

Starting and Parameter Reference Model

The starting model is a residualised version of the GM-SYS 3D model. The densities in the starting model are relative to the
highest density in the volume.The VALEM inversion will add salt below the top of the salt layer until it satisfies the observed
data. In the absence of influence from observed data, the model will converge towards the starting model, as it is also used
as a parameter reference model. The parameter reference model is weighted with a high degree of confidence in regions
close to the top of salt this ensures that the inversion recovers the observed salt.
Lower and Upper Bound
The lower bound is the residualised density of salt (defined as a constant), the upper bound is the residualised sediment
density (defined as a voxel).
Active Area
The active area defines the horizontal extent of cells that are allowed to change in the inversion. It is defined by an area of
interest (AOI) polygon; the size of which determines the size of the VALEM model and the resources needed to run it.
1. The user explicitly defines an AOI to limit the inversion to a subset of the 3D model;
2. The user elects to invert the entire 3D model; the AOI is effectively 1 cell smaller than the 3D model (required for
padding).
Constraint Grid
Using GM-SYS 3D type constraint grids can restrict movement of the salt to specific regions in the X- and Y-dimensions. If
the constraint grid value is exactly 0, the 3D model cells within that column are held fixed during the inversion; any value
other than 0 allows the cell value to vary during inversion.
Active Volume
Vertical movement of the salt interface is bounded by the top of salt and a user-selected boundary below. When a user
selects the inversion layer, the top of the active area is automatically populated. By default, the lower boundary is the first
non-pierceable layer below the inversion layer, but the user may select any layer below the inversion layer or optionally
select a constant elevation beneath the inversion layer (as long as it is within the model space).
The user has the option to maintain the horizontal extent of salt. That is, salt will not be completely removed from any
(horizontal) location where salt exists in the starting model.
The mesh created for the inversion model using VALEM is bounded laterally by the active area/constraint grid; and
vertically by the top of salt layer and the user selected lower boundary. This minimizes the computational requirement for
the inversion calculation but maintains the same mesh geometry as the GM-SYS 3D model.
Model Resolution
VALEM is currently limited to models up to 300x300x128 cells. Model resolution can be altered to fit within this resolution
limit or to perform a quick, inexpensive test run.

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Iterative Reweighting Inversion (IRI) Focusing
The default VALEM inversion uses several iterations of IRI focusing to generate a layered earth solution with the discrete
densities (salt & background fill) that are in the original GM-SYS 3D model.
Extraction and Display in GM-SYS 3D
The inversion results in a 3D distribution of residualised density. The improved salt-sediment interface is then extracted
from the voxel and displayed automatically in the GM-SYS 3D model as an "Alternate Relief Surface" for the base of salt
layer. The extraction process involves several forward models of various density relief surfaces to determine the one giving
the best fit. The result is displayed as an alternate relief surface in GM-SYS 3D without altering the original model. You can
then define the VALEM extracted relief surface as the active relief surface the model will subsequently update using this
new boundary (this includes clipping of crossed layers).

Running a VALEM Inversion

The following is an example of a general procedure for running a VALEM inversion.
Preparing your model for inversion
You should prepare your GM-SYS 3D model with the following in mind.
1. Fill grids and voxels with geologically reasonable values for both dummy areas and background fill density to ensure
misfit is minimized in non-salt regions.
2. Load your survey, and ensure that it is defined from a constant elevation and not a grid (you may have to continue
your data to a constant elevation if not already done).
3. Define pierceable layers below the top of salt.
4. Adjust DC shift as needed to ensure misfit is minimized in non-salt regions.
Run a VALEM inversion
Once the model is prepared, you may select the base of salt layer for VALEM inversion.
1. Select the base of salt layer from within the Model Explorer, right-click and select VALEM Structural Inversion from
the pop-up menu.
The VALEM Structural Inversion dialog appears.

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Note that you must be connected to the internet and signed in with your Geosoft ID to access the VALEM
service.

2. Specify the Inversion name. Note that a unique inversion model name is required.
3. Select whether to perform the inversion on a specific Area-Of-Interest (which requires a polygon file) or over the entire
model.
4. If you chose to perform the inversion on a specific AOI, select the AOI polygon file to use.
5. Optionally, you can use a Constraint grid to refine the active area.
With a constraint grid, a grid cell value of 0 defines inactive parts of the model; any other cell value defines the active
parts of the model. A constraint grid, compared to an AOI polygon, may more easily define the active area for some
users/projects.
6. The Top of active area is a read-only field that displays name of the layer above the selected inversion layer, which
defines the top of the active layer.
7. Select the Inversion layer, if the default is not your layer of interest. If you change this, the Top of active area field will
also change.
8. Select whether you'd like to Maintain horizontal extent of salt.
9. Select the Base of active area using either a constant elevation (within the model space) or a layer within the model.
If you chose to base the active area on a layer, select the Layer from the dropdown list.
10. Click the More button to display more options.

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11. The Number of cells (x,y,z) is a read-only field that displays the estimate of the size of the VALEM job, from the
inputs provided above.
12. Select the IRI focus factor, 3 is the current default. IRI focusing allows for discreet densities, therefore setting this
factor to None is not presently recommended.
13. Once you are satisfied with your selections, click the Create button.
The model is optimized for inversion and sent to the cloud service for computation. A process log and progress bar
are displayed within the GM-SYS 3D window. The result of a successful inversion is then added to the GM-SYS 3D
model as an Alternative Relief Surface.

14. You can abort the inversion by clicking the Stop button beside the progress bar once the inversion begins.
During the inversion, you cannot change/edit your GM-SYS 3D model.

Interpreting and Iterating VALEM Results

The inversion process in VALEM can end with 3 possible messages.

Inversion Completion Messages

1. Failure.
This means that the problem was ill posed in some way (perhaps input parameters) and did not finish in any useful
way.
2. Check result.
This means that the inversion did not converge towards the selected data fit (default 1) but the results may still be
useful. In this mode, VALEM gives you the option to incorporate the results back into your GM-SYS 3D model. If you
select not to, you still have the option to "Assimilate VALEM Result" from the VALEM menu.
3. Success. This means that your inversion converged near the selected data fit (default 1) and the result is
automatically assimilated into your model as an "alternate relief surface" in the 3D display. You will need to make the
surface "active" in order to resolve conflicts with other surfaces and calculate the new response.

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EAGE-SEG Model for VALEM

Geosoft provides sample data for you to use when working through these How-To Guides. To access this EAGE-SEG
data, speak to your Technical Analyst (TA) and they will provide you with the required data sets.
The EAGE-SEG model is derived from the seismic dataset described here:
http://wiki.seg.org/wiki/Open_data#SEG.2FEAGE_3D_modeling_Salt_Model_Phase-C_1996
Aminzadeh, F., et al., 1995, 3-D modeling project: 3rd report: The Leading Edge, 14, 125128.
Aminzadeh, F., et al., 1996, Three dimensional SEG/EAGE models An update: The Leading Edge, 15, 131134.
Aminzadeh, F., et al., 1994, SEG/EAGE 3-D modeling project: 2nd update: The Leading Edge, 13, 949952.
The supplied GM-SYS 3D model is modified in that the true top of salt and true base of salt grids were extracted using
Oasis montaj (convert voxel to database then direct grid database using max or min elevation). This process produced grids
that estimate, to a good degree, the top and bottom of the true salt body.
Below is a list of files and some background information about them as well as guidance on obtaining a good first result from
VALEM.

Model Files
The coordinate system of the entire project was arbitrarily set to NAD 83 UTM 17N. The choice of coordinate system has
no effect on the density model however the project must have a projected coordinate system attached to it.

Survey Data
GzObs-4.grd
This is the observed Gz.
Survey height is constant at 0m with no background density removed.

Definition of the True Model

TrueModel_GMSYS3D.geosoft_voxel
This is the voxel exported from the true model in GM-SYS 3D (defined by the grids below)
Top_Salt_True80.grd
This is the top of salt grid extracted from the true voxel via direct gridding at 80m cells
Top_Salt_filled80.grd
This is the above grid extended using GM-SYS 3D default behavior
Base_salt_true.grd
This is the base of salt extracted from the true voxel via direct gridding at 80m cells
Base_true_filled80.grd
This is the base of salt extended to the extents of the GM-SYS 3D model such that the extended portions are equal to the
extended portions in the top of salt layer. This effectively pinches the salt body out where it is not explicitly defined in the
true voxel model.
Bathy_z.grd
This is the grid defining the bathymetry relief extracted from the true voxel model. It will automatically be filled to the extents
of the GM-SYS 3D model when added.
Background_DensityFlood.geosoft_voxel
This is the sediment fill voxel.

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Top_Salt.ply
This is the polygon that defines the lateral extents of the top of salt.

VALEM Results
Recovered_Model_DCShift_Minus4.geosoft_voxel
Model result of VALEM with DC shift of -4 as a voxel.
Base_Salt_Recovered_DCShift_Minus4.grd
Result of VALEM with DC shift of -4 as a relief grid

Setting up the GM-SYS 3D Model

1. Create a new model from either the bathymetry grid or the background_densityflood voxel using a constant top of
model 0m and a constant bottom of model -5180m.
2. The model cell size should be 80x80x80m with an expansion factor of 1 edit this in the index voxel geometry dialog.
3. Set the density below the constant top layer to 1.03 g/cm^3 for sea water
4. Add bathymetry layer (bathy_z.grd) and use Background_DensityFlood.geosoft voxel for density distribution.
5. Add top of salt layer (top_salt_filled80.grd) and use constant density of 2.2 g/cm^3.
6. Add base of salt layer (top_salt_filled80.grd effectively no salt) and use Background_DensityFlood.geosoft_voxel
for density distribution.
If you have a hypothesized base of salt relief surface, you may use it, but note that you should manually
match relief in regions of FFT expansion to that of your expanded top of salt this effectively keeps the salt
within your salt body and prevents it from leaking into the remainder of your model due to FFT expansion.

7. Basement need not be defined as the density is contained in the voxel distribution unless you want to set the
basement to Not Pierceable, in which case you'll have to define its relief surface.
8. Add Gz survey data (Gz_Obs-4.grd) with constant elevation of 0m and no background density.

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Checking the GM-SYS 3D Model before VALEM

1. Forward calculate Gz response (for this example use a 100% expansion to resolve basement wavelengths).
2. Look at misfit grid.
Do you have a negative anomaly where you hypothesize the salt to be below the Nil Zone?
Do you have a positive anomaly where you hypothesize the salt to be above the Nil Zone?
Is the error small and fairly consistent elsewhere?

3. Adjust DC shift, forward calculate, and check misfit grid for the notes in step 2.
Try values 0, -2, -4, etc. or use the auto best-fit and digitize options (digitize in regions outside the top of salt
extents you may want to plot the top of salt polygon to help).
In this example, the DC Shift (-4) is due solely to an offset in the observed data. With the DC shift set
appropriately, the remaining misfit is due only to the missing salt. This will not always be the case (in the real
world) as there will be uncertainty in the remainder of the model that will affect the misfit. It is therefore crucial that
the background model and DC shift be set to your best ability to ensure the best possible VALEM result. If the DC
shift is insufficient the VALEM result can end up having too much salt, or none at all.

Running VALEM on the EAGE-SEG Model

1. Run a VALEM inversion on the Base of Salt layer with default settings. Use the top_salt.ply file to define the AOI.
Recommend a 100% expansion here, but be sure to use the same as you did in the forward calculation.
With an appropriate DC shift (-4), you should get an inversion data misfit on the order of 1 (between 1 and 5 is
expected for this example).
Did your inversion data misfit improve between the first and last iterations?
How high was your inversion data misfit in the first iteration?
If your inversion data misfit was too high (>10-100) then try a different DC shift or adjust the remainder of your
layers for a better background model.
2. Assimilate the results and analyse relief surface.
Is the result qualitatively reasonable?
3. Make the result relief active and run a forward calculation.

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Did the model misfit improve?

4. If the result is good, export to a voxel and compare to the true model.
5. Experiment with different DC shifts, see what impact it has on the result and the inversion data misfit.

How-To Guide Publication Date: 09/01/2015

Copyright 2015 Geosoft Inc. All rights reserved.

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