Summary Geoscience techniques that are well established for conventional oil and gas exploration and production are equally applicable to shale gas systems.
A robust data set allowed lithostratigraphic classifications and reservoir characterizations to be carried out in the Horn River Basin of northeast British Columbia. When it was demonstrated that statistical relationships existed between the lithostratigraphic classifications and elastic rock properties it became possible to invert 3D seismic volumes for the elastic properties and map the lithostratigraphic units by directly applying the statistical relationships. These findings for lithostratigraphic classifications are also applicable to key shale gas reservoir properties such as porosity or total organic carbon.
From these transformations it was straightforward to apply standard data-reduction and mapping processes to determine quantities needed for key project decisions such as pad design and land acquisition rankings.