Interpretation of multipath-analysis localizations of microseismic data: An Alberta Montney shale example

Reprocessing of a three-well microseismic survey in the Montney formation in Alberta was performed in 2012 by Octave Reservoir Technologies using a proprietary technique known as multipath analysis. Simultaneous detection and analysis of direct-path and head-wave arrivals of microseismic event energy during localization provided an expected increase in localization accuracy, particularly in depth, and resulted in event positions that were significantly different than those produced by current industry methods. In this work, the new event localizations are examined as a function of proximity to internal physical structures found within a 3D seismic depth volume through calculation of interface curvature and seismic incoherence. The results indicate a correlation between the determined event locations and computed seismic properties, indicating that the increase in event localization accuracy achieved may have been sufficient to enable observation of a relationship between the spatial distribution of induced microseismic activity and identified internal physical structures.