Seismic analysis
'Seismic', is derived from a Greek word, 'seismos' meaning 'shock'. Seismic analysis is the study of the earth's interior by examination of shock waves that have traveled through the subsurface. These shock waves can be either natural or artificial.
Reflection seismic employs artificial energy sources, such as dynamite, to produce the shock waves. Seismic energy travels down through layers of rock, is reflected back to the surface, captured by geophones, and recorded on digital instruments. These data are then processed to produce seismic profiles such as those shown on this page. The bands of light and dark reveal the attitudes of the reflective rock layers. The vertical axis of the profiles is usually in units of time and shows how long it took for the energy to travel down to the reflector and back to the surface.
Analysis of reflection seismic, especially when combined with exploration drilling, can reveal much about the rocks below the earth's surface. It has become an important tool in petroleum exploration because it permits one to build contour maps of subsurface layers, and to interpret rock types, environments of deposition, and tectonic histories.
Seismic Analysis at GSC Calgary
We have acquired from the National Energy Board a vast collection of hardcopy and digital reflection data, mostly from Canada's north.
We carry out seismic interpretation primarily to understand the regional geology of Canada's mainland territories and the Arctic. Seismic studies of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin and the deformed belt are more areally restricted because of a lack of data. Seismic contributes to an understanding of a wide range of geological problems - from the immediate subsurface to the base of the continental crust - and is thus a fundamental component of GSC Calgary's integrated and multi-disciplinary study of Canada's vast landmass.
Services
GSC Calgary has an extensive collection of reflection seismic data in
hardcopy format covering the sedimentary areas of Canada's north. Digital
copies of many of these lines, particularly from the Arctic Islands, have
been acquired as well. These data and our facilities
are available for collaborative and cost-recovery activities.
Refer to our expertise page for a contact person working in your area of interest or:
Contact:
Geological Survey of Canada (Calgary)
3303 - 33rd Street N.W.
Calgary, Alberta T2L 2A7
Telephone: 1 - 403 - 292-7000
Software
We have commercial software for well log analysis, reflection seismic processing, interpretation and mapping.
- 'LOGM' by GMA International - digital well log processing and interpretation
- 'STRUCT' by GMA International - 2-D structural seismic modelling
- Geoquest 'IES' by Shlumberger - 2-D reflection seismic interpretation
- 'ProMax' by Landmark Graphics - digital seismic processing
- 'ZMAP' by Landmark Graphics - base map generation, data gridding and contouring
Expertise in seismic processing and interpretation
- Tom Brent (Arctic Islands)
- Jim Dietrich (Western Canada Sedimentary Basin; west coast; Beaufort Sea)
- Bernie MacLean (Mainland Northwest Territories and N.E. British Columbia)