Seismic reflection

Seismic reflection images subsurface structure by recording seismic waves that bounce off boundaries between rocks with different acoustic properties. It is widely used to map geological layers and structures.

Acoustic impedance: The product of a material’s density and the speed of sound through it. Changes in acoustic impedance at rock boundaries determine how much seismic energy reflects.
Seismic wave: An elastic disturbance that travels through or along the surface of the Earth. Reflection imaging tracks seismic waves as they travel through geological materials.
Petroleum geology: The study of the origin, migration, accumulation, and recovery of petroleum in rocks. Reflection sections help locate sedimentary structures that may trap hydrocarbons.
Seismic refraction: A seismic method that interprets waves refracted along boundaries between materials with different velocities. Refraction emphasizes critically refracted arrivals, unlike reflection imaging of boundary echoes.
Reflection coefficient: A measure of the amplitude and polarity of a wave reflected at a boundary. It quantifies the reflection produced by an impedance contrast.
P-wave: A compressional seismic wave in which particle motion is parallel to the direction of travel. P-waves commonly provide the principal arrivals in reflection surveys.
Seismic stratigraphy: The interpretation of seismic reflection patterns in terms of depositional sequences and geological history. Continuous reflection patterns can reveal buried stratigraphic relationships.
Seismic tomography: A method that reconstructs subsurface structure from seismic travel times or waveforms along many paths. Tomography estimates broad velocity structure rather than primarily mapping reflected boundaries.
Seismic wavelet: The finite-duration pulse shape of a seismic signal. Recorded reflections are wavelets, not idealized point arrivals.
S-wave: A shear seismic wave in which particle motion is perpendicular to the direction of travel. Converted and reflected S-waves can add information about subsurface properties.

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