Wave Equation based inversion for Dolomite Detection and Reservoir Quality Assessment in the Sabriyah Marrat Formation

Summary This study evaluates Wave-Equation Based AVO (WEB-AVO) inversion as a robust tool for dolomite detection and reservoir quality assessment in the Middle Marrat Formation of the Sabriyah Field, North Kuwait. The Marrat carbonates exhibit strong lateral heterogeneity and significant overburden-induced scattering, which limits the effectiveness of conventional linear AVO and impedance-based methods. WEB-AVO overcomes these limitations by solving the full elastic wave equation and explicitly accounting for interbed multiples, mode conversions, and transmission effects. Applied on 3D seismic data, the workflow produces compressibility (κ) and shear compliance (M) volumes that show consistent discrimination between dolomitized and non-dolomitized carbonates. Rock-physics analysis confirms that κ–M parameterization provides superior sensitivity to compliant, porosity-enhanced dolomite compared to traditional AI-Vp/Vs attributes, with discrimination preserved at seismic bandwidth. Synthetic VSP-style modelling further demonstrates that overburden scattering strongly alters Marrat reflectivity, validating the need for a full wave-equation approach. Finally, machine-learning models trained on κ and M successfully predict porosity and lithofacies at blind wells, indicating that WEB-AVO-derived parameters are stable and physically meaningful for quantitative reservoir characterization and development workflows in North Kuwait carbonates.