The reconstruction of a lithological profile based on geophysical logs of chemical composition provided by geochemical gamma-gamma well logging probes has been increasingly used for geophysical interpretation. A chemical profile, analogous to the measurements mentioned above, can be determined based on measurements made with a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF). This paper presents a methodology for determining the mineral composition of drilled, clastic, as well as clay-rich rocks on the basis of both inexpensive and timesaving pXRF measurements as well as models combining the results of chemical composition analysis with results of mineral composition analysis (XRD). The results of chemical composition analysis obtained with a portable XRF spectrometer were calibrated based on a detailed analysis produced with ICP-OES and ICP-MS methods. A significant advantage of the proposed method is the possibility to apply it with regard to drill cuttings as well as archival cores. However, considerable discrepancies in the results obtained were identified while comparing the results of chemical composition analysed directly on the core and milled material. The analysed material comprised Carboniferous rocks derived from three boreholes located in Poland: Kobylin-1 as well as Biesiekierz-1 and -2. It was possible to directly compare the lithological profile obtained based on measurements taken on drill cuttings with the results of the lithological interpretation of a geochemical probe log.

Detailed recognition of the paleoenvironment of sedimentation for the monotonous series of heterolithic sediments of the Machow Formation in the central part of the Carpathian Foredeep is still relatively poor. This study presents an unconventional approach of integrating results of seismostratigraphic interpretation with conclusions from analyses of chemostratigraphic profiles in boreholes. The results obtained from the studies allowed the resolution of the seismic data to be increased, enabling it to be accurately tied to the well data. The studies showed a high consistency between results obtained by the two methods mentioned above, and their combination provided a range of additional information and conclusions that could not be drawn from using a single method. The possibility of correlating interpreted sedimentary sequences with specific elements of the paleoenvironment and stages of the depositional history of the analyzed sedimentary basin was also demonstrated. An important benefit of the integrated interpretation methodology used is the possibility to recognize an apparently monotonous profile of heterolithic formations, which was previously not possible with standard interpretation methods.

The purpose of this paper is to show the application of the colour-processing technique to enhance the visibility of fractures and faults for more detailed structural interpretation. Colour-processing is a post-migration, post-processing technique that can be applied in an interpretational platform to produce a structurally enhanced volume using the principles of colour theory. Unlike simple colour blending techniques, which overlay different datasets using different colour channels (most commonly red–green–blue), the colour processing technique produces an enhanced volume that can be exported as a seismic volume (i.e. a segy file). Other methods used to assess the colour-processing include the application of seismic attributes (variance, dip estimates and ant tracking), seismic sequence stratigraphy, and analysis of microimager. The study revealed that the colour processing technique is suited for structural analysis, showing that the ant-tracking attribute classifies approximately 36% as dislocations, compared with input seismic data, where only 9% of the volume is associated with dislocations. Application of the colour-processing technique enabled the interpretation of up to 4 times as many dislocations per unit area of the seismic 3D volume, as exemplified by 3D land seismic data from an area of app 260 square km in the central part of the Carpathian Foreland. However, colour processing fails to enhance the visibility of sedimentary features on seismic data and does not preserve relative amplitudes needed for reservoir prospecting. The results suggest that the proposed methods can be used to limit uncertainties and build more precise geological models, which can be applied in many prospecting applications, such as carbon capture and storage, hydrocarbon prospecting and storage, geothermal systems, and others.