Seismic Identification and Characterization of Deep Strike-Slip Faults in the Tarim Craton Basin

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript "Seismic identification and characterization of deep strike-slip faults in the Tarim craton basin" presents a case study on the seismic identification and characterization of deep strike-slip faults in the Tarim basin. The paper is very detailed and presents results with seismic images with improved resolution compared to legacy models. However, there are some areas that require minor revisions to improve clarity of this work. (i) The authors should clarify how the seismic section shown in Figure 1(b) was obtained. It is important to specify whether reverse time migration algorithms were utilized in addition to the principal component analysis (PCA) and structure-oriented filtering techniques. Providing more detailed information on the methodologies used for obtaining this section will enhance the reader's understanding of the data processing techniques applied. (ii) The text lacks consistency in the citation format. Some references are cited in black, while others appear in blue. Additionally, tables and figures are referenced in red. To ensure uniformity and professionalism, please consult the author guidelines available at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/instructions and standardize the formatting throughout the manuscript. (iii) In line 99, please double-check the accuracy of the area value mentioned. (iv) Please consider reviewing the manuscript for any typographical errors or grammatical inconsistencies that may have been overlooked. 

Author Response

Comments 1: The authors should clarify how the seismic section shown in Figure 1(b) was obtained. It is important to specify whether reverse time migration algorithms were utilized in addition to the principal component analysis (PCA) and structure-oriented filtering techniques. Providing more detailed information on the methodologies used for obtaining this section will enhance the reader's understanding of the data processing techniques applied.

Response 1: Thanks for your kind suggestion. The seismic section shown in Figure 1(b) is the poststack seismic data not without reverse time migration. It was processed by principal component filtering, structure-oriented filtering, and fault-focused imaging. This process was to improve the quality of seismic data and made the fault clearer. The theory of these methods was shown in the paper.

 

Comments 2: The text lacks consistency in the citation format. Some references are cited in black, while others appear in blue. Additionally, tables and figures are referenced in red. To ensure uniformity and professionalism, please consult the author guidelines available at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/instructions and standardize the formatting throughout the manuscript.

Response 2:  Thanks for your kind suggestion. We have changed the citation, table, and figure format following the author guideline at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/instructions.

 

Comments 3: In line 99, please double-check the accuracy of the area value mentioned.

Response 3: Thanks for your kind suggestion. The area of the Tarim Basin published on the website of the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, is approximately 400,000 square kilometers, while the data from the Autonomous Region Government's website and Global Human Geography magazine indicates an area of approximately 530,000 square kilometers. Here, we changed it to 400,000 square kilometers.

 

Comments 4: Please consider reviewing the manuscript for any typographical errors or grammatical inconsistencies that may have been overlooked.

Response 4: Thanks for your kind suggestion. In line 181, “This leads to a strong dampening effect..." has been changed "This leads to a strong damping effect...”. In line 716, "at depths of 6000-7000 metres" has been changed "at depths of 6,000 to 7,000 meters".

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The scientific research article is highly intriguing; however, some very minor adjustments are needed to further refine its presentation and clarity of the concepts discussed. Authors will find the following comments also in the attached pdf file to be facilitated in revisions.

 

1 - I advise authors to use 5 keywords to facilitate the search of the article on the major search engines

 

2 - ‘Intelligent Identification’ seems to me to be a vague keyword (for a lot of search fields), I advise the authors to replace it with a more meaningful one

 

3 - From row 48 to row 50, where authros state "[...] Consequently, improving the seismic resolutions and extracting the precise characterizations of these deep and intricate craton basin faults pose notable challenges. [...]", to better contextualise the topic of sub-surface fault detection with seismic techniques with improved resolution, the authors should cite the following work here:

-Tomassi, A., Trippetta, F., de Franco, R. and Ruggieri, R., 2023. How petrophysical properties influence the seismic signature of carbonate fault damage zone: Insights from forward-seismic modelling. Journal of Structural Geology, 167, p.104802.

 

4 - Figure 1 is very nice but in its caption the interpreted horizons (colored lines) are missing

 

5 - I advise the authors to enlarge Figure2

 

6 - From row 503 to row 527 there is a text line spacing problem. Authors should fix it

 

 

7 - I recommend that the authors improve the concluding paragraph by including considerations on the applications and implications of their research, the limitations of the methods used or results obtained, and increase remarks on future developments

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Comments 1: I advise authors to use 5 keywords to facilitate the search of the article on the major search engines.

Answer 1: Thanks for your kind suggestion. We have added the new keyword ‘Fault Detection’ and ‘Seismic Processing’ and removed the new keyword ‘Intelligent Identification’. The 5 keywords are Deep Strike-Slip Faults; Seismic Attribute Fusion; Fault Detection; Craton Basin; Seismic Processing.

 

Comments 2: ‘Intelligent Identification’ seems to me to be a vague keyword (for a lot of search fields), I advise the authors to replace it with a more meaningful one.

Answer 2: Thanks for your kind suggestion. As the suggest 1, the 5 keywords are Deep Strike-Slip Faults; Seismic Attribute Fusion; Fault Detection; Craton Basin; Seismic Processing.

 

Comments 3: From row 48 to row 50, where authros state "[...] Consequently, improving the seismic resolutions and extracting the precise characterizations of these deep and intricate craton basin faults pose notable challenges. [...]", to better contextualise the topic of sub-surface fault detection with seismic techniques with improved resolution, the authors should cite the following work here:

-Tomassi, A., Trippetta, F., de Franco, R. and Ruggieri, R., 2023. How petrophysical properties influence the seismic signature of carbonate fault damage zone: Insights from forward-seismic modelling. Journal of Structural Geology, 167, p.104802.

Answer 3: Thanks for your kind suggestion. We have cited this reference at the end of this sentence.

 

 

Comments 4: Figure 1 is very nice but in its caption the interpreted horizons (colored lines) are missing

Answer 4: Thanks for your kind suggestion. These colored lines were interpretated by us.

 

Comments 5: I advise the authors to enlarge Figure2

Answer 5: Thanks for your kind suggestion. Figure 2 has been enlarged.

 

Comments 6: From row 503 to row 527 there is a text line spacing problem. Authors should fix it.

Answer 6: Thanks for your kind suggestion. We have now corrected it and ensured that the formatting is consistent.

 

Comments 7: I recommend that the authors improve the concluding paragraph by including considerations on the applications and implications of their research, the limitations of the methods used or results obtained, and increase remarks on future developments.

Answer 7: Thanks for your kind suggestion. We have added the new content in Conclusion: “The results of this study have significant implications for geological exploration and oil and gas production, particularly in improving the accuracy of fault identification within complex cratonic basins. By enhancing the prediction of reservoirs, especially in deep carbonate strata, our methods provide critical guidance for more efficient resource extraction. However, the approach also has limitations, including challenges in handling noisy data, adapting to diverse geological conditions, and capturing non-linear features. Additionally, the reliance on expert domain knowledge may limit its generalizability. To address these issues, future research could explore integrating deep learning techniques with our multi-attribute fusion method, potentially leading to breakthroughs in fault detection accuracy and scalability. Such advancements would improve the method's applicability across different geological settings and enhance its robustness against noise, ultimately contributing to more reliable subsurface imaging and resource development.”.