Abstract: Targeted site selection determines the best hydrocarbon producing locations within areas of highest hydrocarbon reserves of a resource play. The best hydrocarbon production locations are selected within an area of favorable conditions for resource production based on source rock and reservoir properties. Risking of hydrocarbon production and productivity includes Monte Carlo simulations of a shale gas production model for targeted sites using probability distributions for petroleum systems model parameters, well parameters, and project parameters. Cumulative probability of recoverable hydrocarbons for the portfolio of targeted hydrocarbon production locations allows the high-grading of areas of greatest potential within the resource play.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to the field of quantitative sedimentologic and stratigraphic prediction. Specifically, geological data observed or inferred from core samples, cuttings, geophysical well logs and seismic data from locations within a sedimentary basin, in conjunction with a stratigraphic forward model and an inverse optimization technique, are used to predict sedimentologic and stratigraphic attributes at locations within the basin other than those at which data were collected. The model's output consists of a three-dimensional model of the sedimentologic and stratigraphic attributes for the specified basin volume.