Application of complex trace attributes to reflection seismic data near Charleston, South Carolina

Abstract

Complex trace attribute analysis has been applied to 24-fold VIBROSEIS reflection data acquired on the Atlantic Coastal Plain near Charleston, S. C., to yield an expanded interpretation of a Mesozoic basin concealed beneath Coastal Plain sediments. Complex trace attributes express the seismic trace in terms of a complex variable and emphasize different components of the original seismogram. Attributes derived from synthetic seismograms of thin beds are used to interpret the patterns observed on the real data. Complex trace attributes derived from the original seismic trace complement the interpretation of a Mesozoic basin originally imaged by conventional data. The combination of single-sweep recording and use of complex trace attributes is believed to support an interpretation of a transition from basin border conglomerates into finer-grained siltstones nearer to the center of the basin.