Seismic imaging of hydraulic fractures in Carthage tight sands: A pilot study

Abstract

An understanding of fracture geometry and growth is critically important in the design of hydraulic fracture treatment programs to optimize production from a petroleum reservoir. For example, treatment cost increases exponentially with fracture half-length (Figure 1a) where fracture half-length is defined as the lateral distance that an assumed vertical, symmetric planar fracture grows from the well bore as a result of hydraulic fracturing.