Rock Physics Modeling in Frontier Areas: An AVO Case Study in the Layered Evaporite Sequence

A rock physics forward-modeling study was carried out to investigate the Direct Hydrocarbon Indicator (DHI) potential of a prospect resembling the Layered Evaporite Sequence (LES) in the Red Sea (Saudi Arabia). Various workflows were designed based on the Amplitude Versus Offset (AVO) behavior observed at the closest offset well penetrating the LES. The anomaly observed at the prospect was at the same depth interval as that of the LES encountered in the offset well, but unfortunately this well was located a few hundred kilometers away from the actual prospect. The workflows presented in this study can be applied directly to the Intercept/Gradient seismic reflectivity, or inverted pre- or post-stack elastic volumes, in the absence of a well within the inverted seismic volume