This book has been written for those who need a solid understanding of the seismic exploration method without difficult mathematics. It is presented in a format that allows one to naturally progress from the underlying physical principles to the actual seismic method. The mathematics needed for the subject is kept as simple as possible; students only need high school physics and mathematics to thoroughly grasp the principles covered. Dr. Stark has developed this text and honed its content with feedback from hundreds of students over nearly two decades of teaching seismic exploration geophysics. This textbook will teach students the principles for the detection of geologic structures, earthquake zones and hazards, resource exploration, and geotechnical engineering.This title is Winner of 2009 Text and Academic Authors Association "Textbook Excellence Award"

An overview of the current techniques used in the inversion of seismic data is provided. Inversion is defined as mapping the physical structure and properties of the subsurface of the earth using measurements made on the surface, creating a model of the earth using seismic data as input.

This illustration-rich book explains seismic data acquisition operations from a fundamental and practical standpoint, ranging from land to marine 2D methods to 3D seismic methods. Helpful to geologists, field crews, exploration managers, petroleum engineers, and geophysicists, each chapter concludes with exercises on field data recording problems.

Seismic Imaging Methods and Application for Oil and Gas Exploration connects the legacy of field data processing and imaging with new research methods using diffractions and anisotropy in the field of geophysics. Topics covered include seismic data acquisition, seismic data processing, seismic wave modeling, high-resolution imaging, and anisotropic modeling and imaging. This book is a necessary resource for geophysicist working in the oil and gas and mineral exploration industries, as well as for students and academics in exploration geophysics. - Provides detailed methods that are used in the industry, including advice on which methods to use in specific situations - Compares classical methods with the latest technologies to improve practice and application in the real world - Includes case studies for further explanation of methods described in the book

This book introduces readers to seismic inversion methods and their application to both synthetic and real seismic data sets. Seismic inversion methods are routinely used to estimate attributes like P-impedance, S-impedance, density, the ratio of P-wave and S-wave velocities and elastic impedances from seismic and well log data. These attributes help to understand lithology and fluid contents in the subsurface. There are several seismic inversion methods available, but their application and results differ considerably, which can lead to confusion. This book explains all popular inversion methods, discusses their mathematical backgrounds, and demonstrates their capacity to extract information from seismic reflection data. The types covered include model-based inversion, colored inversion, sparse spike inversion, band-limited inversion, simultaneous inversion, elastic impedance inversion and geostatistical inversion, which includes single-attribute analysis, multi-attribute analysis, probabilistic neural networks and multi-layer feed-forward neural networks. In addition, the book describes local and global optimization methods and their application to seismic reflection data. Given its multidisciplinary, integrated and practical approach, the book offers a valuable tool for students and young professionals, especially those affiliated with oil companies.