Interpretations or inferences of stratigraphic terminations and some types of small structural changes can be made by analyzing the areal patterns of three seismic attributes—amplitude, phase, and frequency—across a selected seismic time surface, as these attributes are particularly sensitive to the reflection wavelet distortions that image these geologic conditions. This module provides a conceptual understanding of these attributes and the procedures used to calculate them, and demonstrates how these attributes are used to enhance, detect and interpret geologic features such as faults, channels, pinchouts, seismic-stratigraphic sequence boundaries, and unconformities.

The following exercise will lead you through the process of defining and observing the concept of a complex seismic trace and the analyses of three seismic attributes: instantaneous phase, frequency, and amplitude—when applied to seismic data. To proceed, simply click on the color-coded pathway in the design flowchart. Use the glossary to gain a better understanding of key terms and definitions. To gain insight as to the best decision for any step in the process, simply click on "Ask The Expert" from the menu. As you work through the steps in the exercise, you will see how these three attributes are used as tools for seismic data enhancement and more confident interpretation.