12. Seismic Explorations

Geophysics is an extremely diverse subject including fields of study with backgrounds in chemistry, geology, biology, and physics. This chapter attempts to show the reader a broad cross section of the geophysics of petroleum exploration. Three fundamental steps exist in the workflow of geophysical petroleum exploration. First, there is the acquisition of seismic data by using initiating acoustic energy into the Earth's subsurface and recording the reflected energy. Second, this raw acoustic data is processed using the physical and mathematical principles of wave propagation and continuum mechanics. Finally the processed seismic data is interpreted. Interpretation endeavors to create a pseudo-geological model from the geophysical data for verification or update by purely geological data. The model is then iteratively updated by both geologists and geophysicists to form a complete risk assessment of a prospective drill location.