21.1 What does it mean to interpret seismic data?

The basic purpose of seismic interpretation is to extract all available geologic information from the data. This includes structure, stratigraphy, rock properties, and perhaps reservoir fluid changes in space and time. Our goal is to present the broad outlines of what can be inferred from petroleum seismic data and the physical basis of that interpretation. The physical basis is critical because any interpretation concept, display, or product must ultimately make sense in terms of reflection physics as well as be geologically compelling. The body of knowledge associated with seismic interpretation is enormous and growing rapidly with several hundred studies published each year. The reader interested in a comprehensive treatment of the subject is referred to the standard text by Brown ^[28]. It is recommended for anyone deeply involved in 3D seismic interpretation.

It used to be that geophysicists interpreted individual shot records, but as the amount of data increased, it was not feasible to work with prestack data by hand. Stack sections, migrated sections, and data cubes all changed the way we interpret. Migration, in particular, rendered obsolete a whole repertoire of tricks for dealing with the pitfalls of unmigrated data. In a similar way, 3D data make specialized knowledge of how to work with 2D strike lines a dying art.

Driven by computer and electronics technology, oil industry economics, and software life cycles, the interpretation of seismic data is growing in importance and complexity. There is no indication that...