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The successful exploitation of unconventional resource plays requires an understanding of the subsurface geology, natural fracture network and present day stress regime. Each play has its own unique combination of these factors that control the response to fracture stimulation and ultimately impact productivity. However, seismic reflection data remains the most viable source of spatial information away from well locations. We describe an analytical geomechanical workflow that is constructed using elastic property volumes from a pre-stack seismic inversion, prediction of the horizontal stresses. The results can be used to understand fracture behavior – including stress anisotropy, initiation pressures, fracture barriers, and potential height growth – at any potential well location within the data volume.
