AI-Driven Seismic Reprocessing in Suriname: TotalEnergies’ Macaw-1 Insights

By Marcel Chin-A-Lien | 22th May 2025

In 2024, TotalEnergies executed one of the most advanced seismic reprocessing programs ever attempted in the deepwater Guyana-Suriname Basin.

Focused on Block 64 and the Macaw-1 prospect — spudded in May 2025 — this program represents a decisive evolution from what ExxonMobil applied to its pioneering Liza-1 discovery in 2015.

🔁 From Liza to Macaw: A Tale of Two Reprocessings

ExxonMobil’s 2014–2015 reprocessing centered on pre-stack depth migration (PSDM), refined velocity models, and amplitude versus offset (AVO) analysis to identify direct hydrocarbon indicators (DHIs).

It helped unlock the now-legendary Golden Lane—a term coined and introduced by the author in 2008 to describe this envisioned prolific petroleum corridor extending from Stabroek into Suriname.

TotalEnergies, however, has gone further.

Their 2024 reprocessing of legacy and broadband seismic data incorporates:

• Pre-stack angle gathers conditioning to maximize AVO fidelity
• AI-assisted facies classification trained on analogues from Angola, Nigeria, and Guyana
• Seismic inversion and spectral decomposition to resolve thin beds and subtle stratigraphy
• Machine learning-based rock property prediction targeting deepwater channel-lobe systems

📊 Liza-1 vs. Macaw-1: A Geophysical Comparison

Technique	ExxonMobil (Liza-1, 2015)	TotalEnergies (Macaw-1, 2024)
Seismic Reprocessing	Legacy data, PSDM, improved velocity models	Broadband merge, angle gather enhancement, depth reprocessing
AVO Analysis	Class II/III AVO detection, DHI support	Angle-based inversion, AVO modeling calibrated with AI
AI / Machine Learning	Not applied	Used for lithology prediction, reservoir characterization
Analog Integration	West Africa, Gulf of Mexico	Enhanced, with training sets from Angola, Nigeria, Guyana

🧭 Unmasking the Subsurface of Block 64

The eastern portion of the Guyana-Suriname Golden Lane remains enigmatic. Tullow’s Goliath Voltzberg North-1 (GVN-1) and Araku-1 wells were both dry, despite encountering promising structures. But new insights suggest that earlier drilling may have stopped short of deeper targets or overlooked key stratigraphic traps.

🪨 The Porcellanite Enigma

Crucially, Araku-1 encountered porcellanite with oil shows at Total Depth. Porcellanite, a siliceous rock formed from radiolarian-rich or volcanic sediments, is often overlooked in traditional models but may serve as a top-seal to deeper, charged reservoirs. AI-enhanced reprocessing by TotalEnergies has revealed stratigraphic features beneath this seal, possibly missed in 2017.

This finding could be transformational, not just for Araku-1 Deep (now being revisited by Shell), but also for Macaw-1 and nearby prospects in NE offshore Suriname. The porcellanite could act as a regional seal over stacked channel-lobe complexes, forming a new sub-play in the Lower Cretaceous or even deeper stratigraphy.

🔮 The Road Ahead: What This Means for Suriname

The fusion of seismic reprocessing, AVO, and AI in Block 64 may usher in a new era of deepwater exploration. Where past explorers saw risk, modern geophysics sees promise. If Macaw-1 delivers, it would validate not just the geoscience — but the immense potential of Suriname’s sides of the Golden Lane.

📚 Key Scientific References

• ExxonMobil SEG Presentation (2016): Deepwater discovery strategy in Guyana
• AAPG Bulletin (2021): Siliceous rock sealing capacity and porcellanite case studies
• SEG Interpretation (2023): AI-assisted lithology prediction in deepwater settings
• SPE-210345-MS (2024): Seismic inversion and AVO in turbidite-prone systems
• TotalEnergies Geophysical Innovation Paper (2024, internal summary)

Kind regards.

Marcel Chin-A-Lien

Petroleum and Energy Advisor

48 Years of Global, in-depth expertise, knowhow and insights.

That have generated transformative, multi billion giant fields discoveries, iconic first capitalistic new ventures in the USSR, bid rounds, added value and long term cash flow generating offshore exploration and production activities on Dutch North Sea, M&A, PSC designs, Contract negotiations.

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