AAPG Bulletin, V. 82 (1998), No. 6 (June 1998), P. 1133-1139.

Synthetic Deviation: A New Dipmeter Interpretation Method¹

Charles R. Berg²

©Copyright 1998.  The American Association of Petroleum Geologists.  All Rights Reserved

¹Manuscript received August 26, 1996; revised manuscript received April 21, 1997; final acceptance January 13, 1998.
²ResDip Systems, 4747 Research Forest Drive #180-221, The Woodlands, Texas 77381.

I thank Gunn Oil Company for the release of their dipmeter log and Robert R. Berg for his review of the manuscript and for his insightful suggestions on terminology. I would also like to acknowledge reviewer Guonong Hu’s suggestions to use the word "displacement" for horizontal distance and to use dip difference plots. 

abstract

Synthetic deviation (SYNDEV) plots are derived from the treatment of dips as borehole deviations. These plots can bring out subtle geologic features not readily apparent on the standard tadpole plots or cumulative dip plots. The imaginary "borehole" can be displayed on plots similar to those in which borehole deviation is displayed. The suite of SYNDEV plots includes horizontal displacement plots, maps, sections, total azimuth plots, and azimuth difference plots. Horizontal displacement plots can substitute for cumulative dip plots, and displacement maps can substitute for dip-azimuth-vector plots, bringing these previously unrelated types of plots into a larger set of related analytical plots. Two additional plots useful in conjunction with SYNDEV plots are dip difference and full angular difference plots.