Method for identifying and separating the effects of elastic and anelastic formation properties in seismic data

A method for separating the effects of impedance and absorptive properties of the earth's subterranean formations in a seismic trace signal representative of the earth's response to imparted seismic energy comprising the steps of:

• (a) deconvolving a seismic source signature from the seismic trace signal and obtaining a deconvolved signal;
• (b) decomposing the deconvolved signal into a first resultant seismic trace signal representative of the absorptive contrast across reflecting boundaries in the earth's subterranean formations;
• and
• (c) combining the second resultant seismic trace signal representative of absorptive contrast and the deconvolved seismic signal to obtain a second resultant seismic trace signal representative of the impedance contrast across reflecting boundaries in the earth's subterranean formations.

A method for separating the effects of the impedance and absorptive properties of the earth's subterranean formations in a seismic trace signal representative of the earth's response to imparted seismic energy comprising the steps of:

• (a) deconvolving a seismic source signature from the seismic trace signal and obtaining a deconvolved signal;
• (b) decomposing the deconvolved signal into a first resultant seismic trace signal representative of the impedance contrast across the reflecting boundary in the earth's subterranean formations;
• and
• (c) combining the impedance contrast signal and the deconvolved seismic signal to obtain a second resultant seismic trace signal representative of the absorptive contrast across reflecting boundaries in the earth's subterranean formations.

A method of separating the elastic and anelastic properties of the earth's subterranean formation from a seismic trace signal representative of the earth's response to a seismic energy imparted by seismic source comprising the steps of:

• (a) deconvolving a seismic source signature from the seismic trace signal and obtaining a deconvolved signal;
• (b) decompositing the deconvolved signal into an elastic component signal representative of the differences in elastic properties across reflecting boundaries in the earth's subterranean formations;
• (c) obtaining estimates of the elastic characteristics of the earth's subterranean formation from the elastic component signal;
• (d) decomposing the deconvolved signal into an anelastic component signal representative of the differences in anelastic properties across reflecting boundaries in the earth's subterranean formations;
• and
• (e) obtaining estimates of the anelastic properties of the earth's subterranean formations from the anelastic component signal.

A method of distinguishing a gas-bearing subterranean formation from a liquid-bearing subterranean formation comprising the steps of

• (a) obtaining a seismic trace signal representative of the earth's response to seismic energy imparted therein;
• (b) decomposing seismic trace signal into an elastic comonent signal representative of the differences in elastic formation properties across reflecting boundaries;
• (c) decomposing the seismic trace signal into anelastic component signal representative of the differences in anelastic formation properties across reflecting boundary;
• and
• (d) comparing the elastic component signal with the anelastic component signal to distinguish a gas-bearing formation from a liquid-bearing formation.

A method for separating the effects of anelastic and elastic contrast in the earth's subterranean formations in a seismic trace signal representative of the earth's response to imparted seismic energy, comprising the steps of:

• (a) separating a seismic source signature from the seismic trace signal and obtaining a deconvolved signal;
• (b) forming an analytical signal from the deconvolved signal and its Hilbert transform;
• (c) determining a response phase for the analytical signal;
• (d) obtaining a first resulant seismic trace signal representative of the elastic contrasts in the earth's subterranean formations from the deconvolved seismic signal and its Hilbert transform, and the response phase;
• and
• (e) obtaining a second resultant seismic trace signal representative of anelastic contrasts in the earth's subterranean formations from the deconvolved signal and its Hilbert transform, and the response phase.