Seismic Data Interpretation - Prior Knowledge Assessment

What is the purpose of doing a seismic survey?

• To use the vibration of loose sediment to locate precious minerals.

• The use different interference rates to find buried water mains.

• To try and generate an accurate picture of the Earth's subsurface and geologic structure.

• All of the above.

How is seismic data collected?

• By using a massive ultrasound housed in a tractor trailer to image in Earth's interior.

• By hitting the ground with a big hammer and listening to the sound that it makes.

• By sending controlled acoustic energy into the Earth and recording the energy transmitted back from different horizons.

What properties determine how long it takes a sound wave to travel through a material?

• Density, Temperature, and Pressure.

• Density, Impedance and Seismic Velocity.

• Density and Mineral Content.

• Porosity and Permeability.

Seismic velocity is defined as:

• Change in density over change in time

• Change in distance over change in time

• Change in time over change in distance

• None of the above

What is seismic data processing?

• Using a super computer to pick all the relevant frequencies and computer Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT) in order to determine material density.

• Sorting through waveforms collected by geophones and reducing noise, isolating signal, and picking desired frequencies in order to create the best possible image of the subsurface.

• Taking the data into a recording studio and playing it through geophones to create the song of the subsurface.

What is a Fast Fourier transform?

• An addition problem that turns frequency data into sinusoidal waves.

• A rapid algorithm used to convert time data to frequency data.

• A transform used in engineering for complex number arithmetic.

• There is nothing called Fast Fourier Transform.

Why is it useful to look at frequency data?

• It can be quicker/easier to do certain post-processing functions in the frequency domain.

• Time series data is complicated because it is unclear when certain events occur.

• Frequency data shows us the power of events so we can write music about it.

• All of the above

What is seismic interpretation?

What do you observe by looking at this image? Identify as many features as you could.

Seismic interpretation is the thoughtful procedure of separating which of the following:

• The seismic wavelet.

• Noise of various kinds and data defects.

• Continuity of reflections indicating geologic structure.

• Variability of reflections indicating stratigraphy, fluids and reservoir fabric.

• All of the above.