Tutorial 2: Loading and

Visualizing Seismic
Data
Tutorial 2: Table of Contents

Introduction 3

Exercise 1: Loading and visualizing 2D seismic data 4

Exercise 2: Optimising seismic display 8

Exercise 3: Create a section from objects 12

Exercise 4: Project objects onto the plane of a section 14

Working with 3D Seismic 17

 Tutorial 2: Loading and Visualizing Seismic Data

Introduction

Aim

To import a 2D SEG-Y file into Move, examine some of the seismic display options and different methods
of section construction. The final section of this tutorial is available for users who have access to a 3D
seismic cube and demonstrates a number of data display features.

Seismic data is an integral part of the operations geology workflow. Newly obtained data may reveal
additional structures and improve the geological understanding of a particular study area. Having a smooth
workflow for importing SEG-Y data reduces overall project time.

SEG-Y data files

Seismic data can be imported into Move as scanned or screen captured images (JPG, TIFF, bitmap, etc.) or
directly as SEG-Y files. The SEG-Y file format is a standard format used to store geophysical seismic data.
Move supports the import of both straight and dog-leg SEG-Y files, as well as 3D seismic cubes. SEG-Y data
files can be opened in a new Move project or inserted into a pre-existing file. One or multiple SEG-Y files can
be loaded into one project file and used for on-screen interpretation whilst retaining the original (3D)
coordinates.

Dataset
Dog-leg seismic image of shallowly dipping beds.

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 Tutorial 2: Loading and Visualizing Seismic Data

Exercise 1: Loading and visualizing 2D seismic data

Objective

To import a dog-leg SEG-Y file using the 2D Seismic Importer and display it in the 3D, Map and Section
views.

1. Open Move.

2. On the File tab, click Insert.

3. Set the file format to Seismic 2D (*.SEGY , *.sgy, *.seg).

4. Open the file:

...\02_SEGY_Loading\01_Insert_Files\01_Move_SEGY.sgy

The 2D SEG-Y Import window will open, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: 2D SEG-Y Import toolbox with input parameters.

In the 2D SEG-Y Import window, accept the default import parameters (as read from the SEG-Y header file
by Move).

5. In the 2D SEG-Y Import window change the XY Units from Feet to Metres

6. Click Load and close the Import Summary.

The SEG-Y file will open as an image attached to the section trace in a 3D View in Move, as shown in Figure 2.

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 Tutorial 2: Loading and Visualizing Seismic Data

Figure 2: SEG-Y file loaded into Move and visualized in the 3D View.

7. On the View tab, click Map View to display a 2D view of the section trace (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Section 01_Move_SEGY visualized in the Map View.

8. Close the Map View.

As a section trace is automatically added to the seismic image on import, the seismic section will be listed as
a section in the Model Browser and can be opened in the Section View.

9. In the Model Browser double-click on section 01_Move_SEGY to open it in a Section View.

The section will be opened as an unwrapped section, unrolled to its full length so that the viewing perspective
is perpendicular to each panel of the seismic line, as shown in Figure 4.

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 Tutorial 2: Loading and Visualizing Seismic Data

Figure 4: File 01_Move_SEGY.sgy visualized in the Section View .

10. Select the seismic image in the Section View and in the Quick Editor click the Ticks check box.

11. Change the Trace/CDP Interval to 50, as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Quick Editor toolbox for the seismic image in the Section View.

Figure 6 shows the updated section with an interval trace of 50.

Note: Distance, CDP and Trace Ticks can also be visualized in the Map View and Section View by clicking
the appropriate check boxes on the View tab.

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Tutorial 2: Loading and Visualizing Seismic Data

Figure 6: File 01_Move_SEGY.sgy in the Section View with the trace interval changed to 50 and
distance ticks visualized.

Note: In the Quick Editor, an option to flip the seismic image horizontally is available if the SEG-Y
has loaded incorrectly.

12. Save the file as 02_Dog_Leg_Seismic.move.

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 Tutorial 2: Loading and Visualizing Seismic Data

Exercise 2: Optimising seismic display

Objectives

l To use the Quick Editor, Object Properties and Display toolbar to examine some of the seismic display
options, such as displaying panels and wiggle traces in an unwrapped section, changing the axis from
depth to time and applying a vertical exaggeration.
l To use the Colour Map tool to change the colour scheme of the seismic image.

Within the Section View it is possible to optimise the visualization of a seismic image and highlight key
structures before an interpretation is carried out.

1. Continue with the section from the previous exercise or open section 01_Move_SEGY from the file:

...\02_SEGY_Loading\02_Move_Files\02_Dog_Leg_Seismic.move.

2. In the Section View, select the seismic image and in the Quick Editor activate the Wiggle Trace
and Panel Display Options check box and click the Show Panels.

Displayed in the Section View are several vertical lines that each highlight a bend in the dog-leg seismic, as
shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7: Panels displayed on the seismic image, highlighting where the trace azimuth of the section
changes by 5° or more (by default).

3. In the Quick Editor change the panel angle to 3° and note the response in the section display. As the
angle is lowered more panels appear on the seismic image, highlighting its deviation from a straight
trace.

4. Click to clear the Show Panels check box, so that the original seismic image is shown with no
overlays.

5. Click the Show Wiggle Traces check box.

A series of vertical traces are visualized on top of the seismic (Figure 8) – these represent the trace
amplitude vs travel time about a null point.

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 Tutorial 2: Loading and Visualizing Seismic Data

Figure 8: Wiggle Traces shown on the seismic image.

6. Click the Show Area Traces check box to fill in the area between the null point and all positive seismic
responses(conventionally to the right) represented in the wiggle trace.

7. Zoom in to take a closer look at the seismic section, as shown in Figure 9.

Figure 9: Section 01_Move_SEGY zoomed in to show Wiggle Traces with Area Traces overlain.

8. Clear all Quick Editor check boxes by clicking on them.

Time/Depth Display
9. In order to set the time/depth display of the vertical axis, right-click on the seismic image and click
Object Properties.

10. In the Seismic Image Properties window, make sure that the In Time check box is on (Figure 10).

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 Tutorial 2: Loading and Visualizing Seismic Data

Figure 10: Seismic Image Properties window showing that the seismic is in time.

11. Close the Seismic Image Properties window.

Note: Loading seismic data in time or depth is an option that should be set in the Advanced tab of the
SEG-Y Import toolbox. A small clock icon will be displayed next to the section name in the Model Browser
if the data is in time.

Vertical Exaggeration
12. To change the vertical exaggeration of a section, increase the value from 1 to 3 in the Vertical

Exaggeration box , which is located on the Display toolbar.

Note: The Z Exaggeration can also be changed by clicking directly on the button to open a slider.

13. Click the Reset button to reset the z scale to a 1:1 ratio.

Colour Map
14. To change the colour scheme of the SEG-Y, on the Data & Analysis tab, click Colour Map.

15. Collect the seismic image in the Colour Map toolbox. Once collected, a histogram showing the
distribution of amplitude values is generated, which can be used to identify outlier values and reset the
max/min colour range.

16. From the item list (above the horizontal colour bar, select the colour scheme grey_scale (Figure 11).

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Tutorial 2: Loading and Visualizing Seismic Data

Figure 11: Colour Map toolbox with grey_scale colour scheme selected.

17. Click Apply. The colour scheme of the seismic will update to look like that in Figure 12.

Figure 12: Colour scheme for section 01_Move_SEGY updated to grey_scale

18. Set the colour scheme back to red_white_blue and click Apply.

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 Tutorial 2: Loading and Visualizing Seismic Data

Exercise 3: Create a section from objects

Objective

To use the Create Section From Objects tool to construct a straight cross-section between the start and
end points of a dog-leg seismic image.

If the line connecting the start and end points of a dog-leg seismic section is also the optimal orientation for
restoration (i.e. the plane of tectonic transport), then this construction method is a simple way to generate a
section in the same orientation, from which modelling can commence.

Note: In reality this is rare and it is usually necessary to project the seismic onto the plane of a section at
a user-defined orientation, or to carry out modelling on individual panels. See Exercise 4 for this
workflow.

1. Continue with the file from the previous exercise, or on the File tab, click Open and select the file:

...\02_SEGY_Loading\02_Move_Files\02_Dog_Leg_Seismic.move.

2. Close any open Section Views.

3. On the Model Building tab, click From Objects.

4. Collect the seismic image into the Create Section from Objects toolbox by selecting it in the 3D
View and clicking Collect.

5. Click on Fit Section to Data and Straight Section (Connect Start/End Point) check boxes.

6. Click on Project Data (Normal to Section) and assign the new section the name Section 01.

7. Clear Open Section View When Created. The toolbox will look like Figure 13.

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Tutorial 2: Loading and Visualizing Seismic Data

Figure 13: Create Section from Objects toolbox with the seismic image collected.

8. Click Create Section. The new section will generated between the start and end points of the dog-leg
section (Figure 14).

Figure 14: Section 01 created by connecting start and end points of the dog-leg seismic.

9. In the Model Browser double click on Section 01 to open it in the Section View.

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 Tutorial 2: Loading and Visualizing Seismic Data

Exercise 4: Project objects onto the plane of a section

Objectives

l To use the Trace tool to digitize a section trace at a user-defined orientation in the Map View.
l To use the To Section tool to project the seismic image onto the new section.

This method of section construction is used for generating a straight section in an orientation optimal for
structural analysis - tectonic transport direction. See Tutorial 6 for a method of calculating the tectonic
transport direction from dip data.

1. Continue with the file from the previous exercise, or on the File tab, click Open and select the file:

...\02_SEGY_Loading\02_Move_Files\02_Dog_Leg_Seismic.move

2. If working with the file from the previous exercise, click Undo , to undo the creation of Section 01.

3. On the View tab, click Map View.

4. On the Model Building tab, click Trace.

5. Click on At Angle (No Snap) and enter an angle of 270°.

6. Click to start digitizing a straight section in the Map View. Ideally this should lie close to, or across the
dog-leg seismic line. Right-click to end digitization, as shown in Figure 15.

Figure 15: Section trace digitized in the Map View.

7. Name the section Section 02 and click Create and Open.

8. Close the Trace toolbox.

9. Click To Section on the Model Building to open the Project to Section toolbox.

10. Under Project Data on Selected Section, select Section 02 from the list.

11. Click the Normal to Section check box.

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Tutorial 2: Loading and Visualizing Seismic Data

12. Use either the Model Browser or 3D View to select and collect the seismic image (01_Move_SEGY)
into the Objects to be Projected box, as shown in Figure 16.

Figure 16: Project to Section toolbox set up.

13. Click Apply. The seismic image will be projected onto Section 02 and displayed in the Section View,
as well in the 3D View (Figure 17).

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 Tutorial 2: Loading and Visualizing Seismic Data

Figure 17: Result of creating a section trace and projecting the seismic in the 3D View.

Note: The length of the section projected is shorter than the sum of the lengths of all panels of the dog-
leg seismic in Map View.

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 Tutorial 2: Loading and Visualizing Seismic Data

Working with 3D Seismic

This section provides a generic workflow for users with their own 3D seismic cube.

It is possible to load 3D seismic cubes into Move using the Seismic 3D (*.SEG-Y *sgy *.seg *.zgy) importer .
The Seismic 3D importer has a broadly similar layout to that of the Seismic 2D importer. Once loaded the
seismic cube will be listed in the Quick Editor in the Model Browser, as shown in Figure 18.

Figure 18: 3D seismic cube Orig_Amp_Depth loaded and listed in the Model Browser.

Note: A filepath to where the Index and original SEG-Y files are stored is provided in the Quick Editor.
Click Re-index if these files are moved to a different location.

Loading into Memory

The seismic cube can be loaded into memory, which will speed up processing time when navigating through
the seismic interactively and creating diagonal slices. To do so:

1. Select the cube in the Model Browser and in the Quick Editor, click Load Into Memory.

Visualizing the 3D Seismic Volume

With the 3D seismic cube loaded it is possible to create and visualize a volume within the 3D View , using the
Model Browser. The steps for creating and visualizing a seismic volume are provided below:

2. In the Model Browser, right-click on the 3D seismic cube and click Create Volume.

3. A dialog box will open showing the current volume properties, including the number of inlines and
crosslines, volume size and available graphics memory (Figure 19).

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 Tutorial 2: Loading and Visualizing Seismic Data

Figure 19: 3D Volume Properties window for creation of an example volume.

Note: It is recommended for performance purposes that the Total Volume Size is kept lower than the
Available Graphics Memory. If it is larger than the available memory the value will be displayed in red.

4. Click Create Volume. The seismic volume will be visualized in the 3D View, as shown in Figure 20.

Figure 20: Seismic volume displayed in the 3D View.

5. Select the volume in the Model Browser to open the Quick Editor, as shown in Figure 21. In the
Quick Editor the volume can be clipped in its Inline, Crossline and Timeslice orientation by
dragging the minimum or maximum sliders.

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Figure 21: Quick Editor for seismic volumes.

Note: Check on Show Manipulator to slice through the volume interactively.

In the Quick Editor the quality of the seismic volume can be increased or decreased using the Volume Quality
slider. Figure 22 shows the volume visualized at a very high quality.

Figure 22: Seismic volume visualized at a very high quality.

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Creating 2D cross-sections through the seismic volume

If a section trace is created, and intersects the seismic volume, it is possible to visualize the seismic volume
intersection in the Section View.

6. Select the section from the Sections Browser, right-click and click Insert Seismic From Cube. A
2D seismic image, derived from the volume, will be projected onto the section, as shown in Figure 23.

Note: It is possible to create and select multiple sections in the Model Browser, right-click and insert the
seismic image from the cube for all sections in one step.

Figure 23: Split window showing the seismic volume and intersecting section trace in the 3D View, and
2D seismic image in the Section View.

Overlay seismic on surfaces

If a surface is created using the Surface tool, and intersects a seismic volume, it is also possible to overlay
the volume onto that surface. To do so:

7. Select the surface and on the Display toolbar click Overlay. A list of options will appear (Figure 24).

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Tutorial 2: Loading and Visualizing Seismic Data

Figure 24: Overlay option in the Display toolbar.

8. Click volume. This will drape the seismic onto the surface, as shown in Figure 25.

Figure 25: Seismic data overlain on a fault surface.

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