Abstract: According to a preferred aspect of the instant invention, there is provided herein a system and method for using both a temporal zone of seismic data and conditioned amplitude spectra thereof to determine the underlying layer sequence. The instant invention is suitable both for determining layer positions and layer impedance magnitudes, that best describes the geologic sequence sampled by a band limited seismic source wavelet as reflected from the zone.

Abstract: There is provided herein a system and method of acquiring, processing, and imaging transient Controlled Source ElectroMagnetic (t-CSEM) data in ways that are similar to those used for seismic data. In particular, the instant invention exploits the time-distance characteristics of t-CSEM data to permit the design and execution of t-CSEM surveys for optimal subsequent processing and imaging. The instant invention illustrates how to correct t-CSEM data traces for attenuation and dispersion, so that their characteristics are more like those of seismic data and can be processed using algorithms familiar to the seismic processor. The resulting t-CSEM images, particularly if combined with corresponding seismic images, may be used to infer the location of hydrocarbon reservoirs.

Abstract: According to a preferred aspect of the instant invention, there is provided a system and method for acquiring seismic data in a marine environment, wherein at least two source vessels are used in conjunction with a recording vessel which tows a plurality of hydrophone cables. Preferably, the source vessels will be positioned along side of the towed streamer configuration and most preferably one source vessel will be located near the recording vessel and the other at the end of the streamer configuration, preferably along the same side of the streamer configuration as the lead source vessel.

Abstract: The instant invention pertains generally to a method of seismic processing of multi-component converted wave 2-D and 3-D seismic data, wherein the seismic traces in each CCP gather may have been acquired at a variety of different source-receiver azimuths. According to one aspect of the instant invention there is provided a method of using recorded multi-component seismic data to determine an estimate of the orientation of the two principle coordinate axes of a subsurface medium, with this determination potentially being made in each seismic survey bin, and for each depth. Given this estimate, the seismic data may then be transformed via rotation into the coordinate system so defined, and thereafter processed using conventional algorithms (e.g., to produce velocity functions and images).