Fundamentals Of Geophysical Interpretation

Includes discussions of fundamental concepts, explained using heuristic descriptions of seismic modelling, deconvolution, depth migration, and tomography; processing and contouring pitfalls; and developments in time-lapse seismology, borehole geophysics, multicomponent seismology, and integrated reservoir characterization.

Intended for beginning interpreters, this book approaches seismic interpretation via synthesis of concepts and practical applications rather than through formal treatment of basic physics and geology. Based on the author's personal experience as a seismic interpreter, it is organised along the lines of notes from classes he designs and teaches.

This second edition of Fundamentals of Geophysics has been completely revised and updated, and is the ideal geophysics textbook for undergraduate students of geoscience with an introductory level of knowledge in physics and mathematics. It gives a comprehensive treatment of the fundamental principles of each major branch of geophysics, and presents geophysics within the wider context of plate tectonics, geodynamics and planetary science. Basic principles are explained with the aid of numerous figures and step-by-step mathematical treatments, and important geophysical results are illustrated with examples from the scientific literature. Text-boxes are used for auxiliary explanations and to handle topics of interest for more advanced students. This new edition also includes review questions at the end of each chapter to help assess the reader's understanding of the topics covered and quantitative exercises for more thorough evaluation. Solutions to the exercises and electronic copies of the figures are available at www.cambridge.org/9780521859028.

This tutorial serves as a practical guide on seismic tomography for an audience familiar with basic seismology concepts and calculus. The intent is to provide the reader with a fundamental understanding of both seismic-ray tomography and seismic-diffraction tomography. Case studies illustrate processing methodology, basic interpretation techniques, and pitfalls. This presentation assists the reader in gaining a greater understanding of and appreciation for seismic-tomography articles found in the literature.

Elementary, conceptual, and easy to read, this book describes the methods and techniques used to estimate rock properties from seismic data, based on a sound understanding of the elastic properties of materials and rocks and how the amplitudes of seismic reflections change with those properties. By examining the recorded seismic amplitudes in some detail, we can deduce properties beyond the basic geological structure of the subsurface. We can, using AVO and other amplitude techniques, characterize rocks and the reservoirs inside them with some degree of qualitative, and even quantitative, detail. Mathematics is not ignored, but is kept to a minimum. Intended for geophysicists, seismic acquisition specialists, processors, and interpreters, even those with little previous exposure to ‘quantitative interpretation’, ‘interpretive processing’ or ‘advanced seismic analysis’, this book also would be appropriate for geologists, engineers, and technicians who are familiar with the concepts but need a methodical review as well as managers and businesspeople who would like to obtain an understanding of these concepts.

Expanding the author's original work on processing to include inversion and interpretation, and including developments in all aspects of conventional processing, this two-volume set is a comprehensive and complete coverage of the modern trends in the seismic industry - from time to depth, from 3D to 4D, from 4D to 4C, and from isotropy to anisotropy.

Providing information about the principles, understanding, and applicability of the gravity exploration method, this text is both a textbook and a reference for anyone engaged in geophysical exploration.

Elements of 3D Seismology, third edition is a thorough introduction to the acquisition, processing, and interpretation of 3D seismic data. This third edition is a major update of the second edition. Sections dealing with interpretation have been greatly revised in accordance with improved understanding and availability of data and software. Practice exercises have been added, as well as a 3D seismic survey predesign exercise. Discussions include: conceptual and historical foundations of modern reflection seismology; an overview of seismic wave phenomena in acoustic, elastic, and porous media; acquisition principles for land and marine seismic surveys; methods used to create 2D and 3D seismic images from field data; concepts of dip moveout, prestack migration, and depth migration; concepts and limitations of 3D seismic interpretation for structure, stratigraphy, and rock property estimation; and the interpretation role of attributes, impedance estimation, and AVO. This book is intended as a general text on reflection seismology, including wave propagation, data acquisition, processing, and interpretation and will be of interest to entry-level geophysicists, experts in related fields (geology, petroleum engineering), and experienced geophysicists in one subfield wishing to learn about another (e.g., interpreters wanting to learn about seismic waves or data acquisition).