Why build a structural model?

Structural modeling is the crucial step in subsurface modeling where you integrate your events with a stratigraphic model and with a fault model. The purpose of structural modeling is to build an integrated model in which all structural and stratigraphic components are consistently implemented. In the 3D structural workflow, three elements are used: the fault model, which segments the subsurface model into fault blocks, a set of events (horizons and markers) which describe the geometrical aspects of the subsurface layering, and the stratigraphic model. The latter comprises a hierarchy in which the events are related to each other. On the basis of your stratigraphic model, you can define dependencies and geometric alignments to guide the modeling process.

The outcome of the Structural Modeling workflow then serves as the input for the construction of the 3D grid.