Seismic Response Characteristics of Uranium-Metallogenic Environments: Establishing Predictive Foundation for Sandstone-Hosted Uranium Deposits Exploration

Abstract Seismic prospecting technology has emerged as one of the most effective geophysical methods for exploring sandstone-hosted uranium deposits (SUD). Nowadays, the issue of uranium-metallogenic environment prediction has become the research hotspot in the field of SUD seismic exploration. However, the seismic response characteristics of uranium reservoirs remain poorly understood, and seismic indicators for predicting favorable metallogenic parameters have not been established. Consequently, the persistent limitations hinder the effective seismic prediction for uranium reservoirs. Through systematic research on seismic modeling, seismic attribute analysis, and inversion on the typical SUD, we have derived the seismic response characteristics of SUD reservoirs and proposed effective markers for predicting uranium-favorable environments. Seismic attribute analysis indicates that amplitude, frequency, and their derivative attributes are sensitive to uranium-bearing environments. Meanwhile, the petrophysical parameters of μ*ρ (shear modulus-density product), shear wave impedance, and compressional impedance were confirmed to serve as efficient indicators for identifying uranium-bearing strata. Based on the understanding of the aforementioned prospecting indicators, experimental calculations were conducted on the 3D seismic data from the Qihagertu area. The results of seismic attributes clustering and petrophysical parameters inversion identified align well with the regional sand body distribution, which exhibits three NE-oriented spreading zones. The calculations results have proven that the seismic response characteristics of the uranium reservoirs are reliable. In summary, the achievements have essentially addressed the fundamental theoretical issue of seismic prediction for SUD reservoirs. The predictive makers can provide crucial basis for subsequent seismic interpretation of uranium-metallogenic environments.