ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors apply quadratic time–frequency (TF) representations to the analysis of seismic reflection data. Seismic imaging of the earth’s subsurface is an essential technique in exploring for oil and gas accumulations. A seismic image is obtained by probing the subsurface with acoustic waves. Seismic attributes are features extracted from a seismic image that elucidate signal characteristics that are relevant for the geologic interpretation of the reflectivity image. The frequency content of a seismic reflection record is primarily dependent on the bandwidth of the outgoing seismic source pulse and the absorption characteristics of the subsurface. The TF representation of a seismic section brings forward characteristics of the seismic sequence that are not easily observed in the time domain or frequency domain alone. The authors present a computationally efficient method for estimating moment-based TF attributes that avoids the calculation of a quadratic TF representation altogether.
