What are attributes ?
Attributes are different ways of looking at the seismic data usually represented in amplitude. They are various mathematical operations done on the seismic data. Depending on the type of input data, the following classes of attributes can be distinguished:
- Property cubes: the whole amplitude cube is transformed (e.g. coherence, termination, etc.).
- Seismic attributes: a seismic section is transformed (e.g. reflection strength, apparent polarity, etc.).
- Surface attributes: operations done on a surface, usually a mapped horizon (e.g. amplitude, dip & azimuth, etc.).
- Volume attributes: operations done on a volume, usually limited by two mapped horizons (e.g. reflection intensity, acoustic impedance, etc.).
These different attributes can help a lot the interpreter as they can highlight various features of the data that would not be visible otherwise.
3D view of a termination cube (an example of a property cube) highlighting faults in red, displayed against two seismic sections in amplitude. A faulted horizon is displayed in azimuth (an example of a surface attribute).
Several examples of the use of attributes for sedimentary environment determination are shown in our case study in the Gulf of Mexico.
