Interpretation special section call for papers

Karst

The term karst derives from the name of an area of Slovenia and generally refers to the result of weathering or dissolution of limestone, dolomite, anhydrite, or other soluble rocks. Paleokarst is one of the most complex and least predictable styles of carbonate reservoir heterogeneity. Wells that intersect karst-modified fractures frequently have high initial production rates followed by rapid decline. Karst collapse features locally increase depositional accommodation space, and their bounding faults may propagate into shallower reservoirs in response to differential compaction. Rugose karst horizons can cause significant diffraction of downgoing reflection-seismic energy thereby limiting the resolution of deeper targets. Shallow karst systems are important components of freshwater aquifers and form sufficient hazards for highway and other infrastructure, and they can be a drilling hazard in hydrocarbon exploration and production.

The editors of Interpretation invite papers on the topic Karst for publication in the August 2014 special section or supplement. Contributions are invited in the areas of seismic geomorphology, the appearance of karst on seismic attributes and impedance inversion, as well as tutorials on geologic processes involved in meteoric dissolution, hydrothermal alteration, evaporite dissolution, and sedimentary infill of karst features.

We anticipate contributions related to:

  • Geomorphology and architecture of karst in seismic data
  • Seismic attribute analysis for paleokarst characterization
  • Formation evaluation of karst-modified reservoirs including image log interpretation
  • Seismic-aided field development and completion design strategies
  • Outcrop analogs for subsurface karst
  • Differentiating karst styles: meteoric, hydrothermal, and evaporitic
  • Karst petroleum reservoirs
  • Karst petroleum seals
  • Karst drilling hazards
  • Karst influence on shallow unconventionals
  • Seismic imaging of karst for geothermal production
  • Karst influence on seismic data quality
  • Karst associated with anhydrite and salt dissolution
  • Mapping of shallow karst for engineering and groundwater applications
  • Acquisition, processing, and imaging workflows to improve subsurface karst imaging

Interested authors should submit manuscripts for review no later than 15 November 2013. In addition, the special section or supplement editors would like to receive a provisional title and list of authors as soon as possible. Authors should submit via the normal online submission system for Interpretation (https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/interpretation) and select the Karst option in the manuscript type dropdown box. The submitted papers will be subject to the regular peer-review process, and the contributing authors are also expected to participate in the review process as reviewers.

The submissions will be processed according to the following timeline:

Submission deadline: 15 November 2013
Peer review complete: 1 May 2014
Final files submitted for production: 15 May 2014
Publication of issue: August 2014

Special section editors:

Jerome Bellian jerry.bellian@whiting.com
Jason Rush rush@kgs.ku.edu
Charlotte Sullivan charlotte.sullivan@pnnl.gov
Hongliu Zeng zengh@beg.utexas.edu
Kurt Marfurt kmarfurt@ou.edu

Interpretation, copublished by SEG and AAPG, aims to advance the practice of subsurface interpretation.