Tuning seismic resolution by heterodyning

This paper presents a new seismic data analysis and interpretation tool—the heterodyning technique of radio engineering. When applied to seismic data, it enables us to tune up seismic apparent resolution by shifting the dominant frequency of the signal with a given frequency bandwidth. Heterodyning provides a trade-off between detection precision and the signal-to-noise structure of the seismic data field. This is realized by tuning the amount of sidelobe energy and the phase characteristics of the seismic signals. Moderate phase rolls introduced by heterodyning do not affect the interpretation process because the subtlety in the behaviour of individual peaks and troughs is preserved and the eye tolerates gradual changes in phase characteristics. For steeply dipping beds, horizon flattening can be used to minimize the phase roll. In this paper, we introduce the principles of heterodyning and illustrate the process using both synthetic and real data.