GEO 545 – Multi-Channel Seismic Processing – 4 credits.

Spring 2004

Instructor: Dr. Andrew M. Goodliffe

Office: 222 Bevill Building

Telephone: 348-7167

e-mail: amg@ua.edu

 

Meeting time

 Tues, 1:00pm - 3:00pm; Thurs, 1:00pm – 3:00pm. Bevill 266

 

Prerequisites

Math 126 and PH 102:104

 

Description

 This class will be a largely a hands-on, computer based course. We will be working on the departmental network of Sun workstations using ProMAX, a commercial seismic processing package. We will also use other software as needed (for example, SIOSeis). Lectures will be interspersed as needed.

 

Objectives

At the conclusion of the course students will be familiar with the techniques required to process seismic data. Yilmaz sums it up very nicely:

 

The seismic analyst is confronted daily with the important tasks of:

1)      Selecting  a proper sequence of processing steps appropriate for the field data under consideration,

2)      Selecting an appropriate set of parameters for each processing step, and

3)      Evaluating the resulting output from each processing step, then diagnosing any problems caused by improper parameter selection.

 

Topics to be covered

1)      Seismic data collection – sources, receivers, ships.

2)      Survey design – the concept of the Common Mid-Point (CMP), fold, sampling interval, nyquist frequency, resolution, receiver depth, and survey geometry.

3)      The “nuts and bolts”.

i)                    Setting up survey geometry in ProMAX.

ii)                   Trace editing.

iii)                 Filtering.

iv)                 Amplitude correction.

v)                  Deconvolution (pre-stack).

vi)                 Velocity analysis.

vii)               NMO correction

viii)              Inside and outside mutes.

ix)                 Stacking.

x)                  Deconvolution (post-stack).

xi)                 Filtering.

xii)               Migration.

4)      Additional processes.

i)                    f-k filter.

ii)                   Multiple suppression (radon, f-k).

iii)                 More as time allows.

5)      Vertical Seismic Profiling.

6)      Synthetic Seismograms.

7)      Visualization.

8)      Interpretation (using Kingdom Suite, SeisWorks).

 

Attendance Policy

Students are expected to attend all classes. Any absence that is known in advance should be cleared with the professor.

 

Examinations and assignments

 

Assignments will consist of additional exercises based on the days topic plus selected readings. There will be no examinations. A final project will be assigned in which each student will process a seismic line from scratch.

 

Grading Policy

 

Letter grade

 

Policy for making up missed course work

 

All course work will be made up in the students own time.

 

Text

 

Seismic data processing, by Özdoğan Yilmaz, published by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. Due to the specialized nature of this text and the associated high price, students are not required to buy this text. Yilmaz will be supplemented by other texts and references as needed.

 

Students with disabilities

 

Students with disabilities who need accommodations made should present an accommodation letter to me as soon as possible. These letters can be obtained from the Office of Disability Services.