Date:     Oct. 15, 3:30 pm in 3355 Engr. Hall

Title:    An Overview of Seismic Data Processing: Past, Present and Future

Speaker:  Saad Saleh, Shell Oil Co.

Abstract:

A large number of scientific methods have been used throughout this
century in the search for oil and gas.  By far, the most common method 
in this search has been the seismic method.  This approach to
hydrocarbon exploration includes the acquisition, processing, and 
interpretation of seismic data.  That is, sound waves are sent into
the ground, and various reflections, refractions, and diffractions
of these waves are recorded by receivers on the surface of the earth.
This data is subsequently processed to generate a 3-dimensional image
of the subsurface rock formations.  Finally, the resulting image is
interpreted by geologists and geophysicists to determine the location
of potential commercial quantities of oil and gas.
 
In this talk, we focus on the signal processing aspect of the seismic method.
In particular, we address the following issues:
   *) Temporal resolution and the need for deconvolution.
   *) Random noise and the need for redundancy.
   *) Spatial resolution and the need for imaging.
   *) Out-of-plane effects and the need for 3-dimensional processing.
   *) The meaning of signal amplitudes, and the possibility of
      direct hydrocarbon detection.
 
Finally, we focus on some of the hottest areas of research in this 
field, such as sub-salt imaging and the so-called hard sand problem.