A ‘new age’ of subsurface geological mapping thatis juse as far ranging in scope as the frontier source geologicalmapping campaigns of the past two centuries in emerging. Itis the direct result of the advent of 2D, and subsequently 3D,seismic data paralleled by advances in seismic acquisition andprocessing over the past three decades. Subsurface mapping isfuelled by the economic drive to explore and recover hydrocarbonsbut inevitably it will lead to major conceptual advances inEarth sciences, across a broader range of disciplines than thosemade during the 2D seismic revolution of the 1970s. Now that3D seismic data coverage has increased and the technology iswidely available we are poised to mine the full intellectualand economic benefits. This book illustrates how 3D seismictechnology is being used to understand depositional systemsand stratigraphy, structural and igneous geology, in developingand producing from hydrocarbon reservoirs and also what recenttechnological advances have been made. This technological journeyis a fast-moving one where the remaining scientific potentialstill far exceeds the scope of the advances made thus far. Thisbook explores the breadth of the opportunities that lie aheadas well as the inevitable accompanying challeges.
