Method for first arrival picking of seismic data

A method for drilling a hydrocarbon well based on first arrival picking of seismic data, comprising:

• by a seismic wave generator arranged at a first position on an Earth surface, generating seismic shot waves, and transmitting the seismic shot waves from the Earth surface into an Earth subsurface;
• by a seismic receiver arranged at a second position on the Earth surface, sensing seismic signals from seismic events caused in the Earth subsurface by the seismic shot waves, to obtain a seismic shot record data set;
• by a data processing unit,
• processing the seismic shot record data set to identify first arrival picks associated with the seismic events, and
• using a geological model determined based on the first arrival picks, identifying a drill point of a subterranean hydrocarbon resource, where the geological model provides a two-dimensional or three-dimensional representation of the Earth subsurface in vicinity of the first position;
• and
• by a drilling unit, drilling a hydrocarbon well at the identified drill point,
• wherein the step of processing the seismic shot record data set further comprises:
• calculating from the seismic shot record data set a plurality of descriptors, where the plurality of descriptors comprise a mean, a second difference moment, a reversed second difference moment, an energy, a contrast variance, and a mode,
• grouping the seismic shot record data set into a plurality of first arrival clusters with a fuzzy c-means and the plurality of descriptors,
• enhancing the plurality of first arrival clusters by multiplying the plurality of first arrival clusters with an energy ratio, the energy ratio being calculated from an industrial energy ratio procedure, and
• identifying the first arrival picks from the plurality of enhanced first arrival clusters.