DOCUMENTING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF EXPERTISE, EXPERIENCE AND WORKFLOW STRATEGIES EMPLOYED IN SEISMIC INTERPRETATION

Interpretation of data returned from seismic reflection surveys has been one of the key tools in geological subsurface exploration for the last several decades. Despite the central significance of this exploration tool in the petroleum industry, and in scientific investigations of tectonics and sedimentary systems, the characteristics of expert skill in this area remain unevenly documented and the educational pathway to expertise is poorly understood. This study was designed to advance understanding of the interactions, strategies, and techniques graduate-level, employment-ready geoscientists employ in the process of 2D seismic interpretation. This qualitative study was designed to record experienced participants conducting basic interpretative tasks in order to develop insights into emerging expert behavior. Videos of participants were coded for co-occurrences of features that were identified by participants, the markings participants made, the order of common features among participants, interaction with the images, and time use between the different exercises resources provided to participants during interpretation. Information was also collected with a background survey and through interviews in order to gain insight into participant's experience with seismic interpretation. This information was used to place participants into different levels of experience and search for correlations with emerging expert behavior. Our results show that the lowest experience group uses a less holistic approach with the available resources and is more hesitant to use written observations during their exercise, consistent with low expertise. The high and medium groups employed additional strategies that the low group did not to help them more effectively asses the seismic data set. These include packaging of features into larger functional elements and techniques for approaching and visualizing the data to maximize information gained. Additionally, we were able to show and categorize the common elements among participants' interpretations, and offer a method to capture workflow strategies. The insights from this study will help guide future research to probe the practice of seismic interpretation, with the hope to provide instructors with new teaching methods and help create software advancements.