<p><strong>It is a kind of spectral shaping, intended to increase the vertical resolution of seismic reflection data.</strong></p>

<p>The logic goes like this:</p>

<ul>
<li>Seismic data is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandlimiting" rel="nofollow">band-limited</a> and lacks high frequencies. This limits its vertical (travel time, and thus thickness) resolution. This is annoying because we often care about thin beds. </li>
<li>The spectral peak of seismic data tends to be at a fairly low frequency compared to its total band. That is, the longer wavelengths are disproportionately strong compared to the short ones. Thinking of an analogy with the electromagnetic spectrum, we could say that the spectrum is reddish. </li>
<li>We assume that geology is whitish, or scale free, so all 'frequencies' are represented (when we're in the time domain, they are frequencies; when in depth they are <a href="http://www.agilegeoscience.com/blog/2012/5/1/k-is-for-wavenumber.html" rel="nofollow">wavenumbers</a>). </li>
<li>So maybe we can reshape the seismic spectrum to more closely match the geological spectrum, as derived from logs, by boosting the higher seismic frequencies a bit.</li>
<li>One way to do this is to design an operator, a sort of wavelet, with which to convolve the seismic data. The result would be the seismic with the boosted frequencies. </li>
</ul>

<p><a href="http://www.spgindia.org/2010/367.pdf" rel="nofollow">Here's one example of the application of the method</a> [PDF] from Yadav et al. (2010).</p>

<p>It's just my opinion, but I'd treat the idea and the method with the same skepticism as any method claiming to enhance seismic resolution. That said, I'm sure there's a champion of blueing for every detractor. <em>Caveat interpretor.</em></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-01T04:43:24.927Z
Thanks a lot. I would hereby like to make my doubt clear between SEismic inversion and spectral blueing. Initially I thought colored inversion and blueing are one and the same. But now I find both are different things. Seismic Inversion takes care of lower frequencies and helps the interpreter to visualize the section in terms of the impedance values whereas blueing I see as the processing job done to enhance the seismic data itself. I hope I'm right. I'm yet to go through the link (paper by Yadav et al.) that you've sent. Pretty soon I'll go through that too. Again thanks a lot. cheers!!
Kunal Rathod
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-01T10:30:03.397Z
Sure thing Kunal. I would add that 'inversion' is really a large set, including any process that moves from seismic back towards geology. [See this post](http://www.agilegeoscience.com/blog/2013/4/16/backwards-and-forwards-reasoning.html), and others in that series.
Matt Hall
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-06-30T00:52:26.037Z
2015-06-30T01:09:49.020Z
2015-06-30T01:09:49.020Z
Matt Hall
<p>What is the meaning of seismic spectral blueing? Please cite any good introductory materials if possible.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-06-25T12:59:52.220Z
Please check the post: http://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/972/why-is-colored-seismic-inversion-called-colored/976#976
arkaia
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-06-25T14:36:18.653Z
This question should be reopened. It is not a duplicate of the question about coloured inversion. Furthermore, that question is a bit confusing because the incorrect answer was chosen.
Matt Hall
<geophysics><seismology><waves><wave-modeling><seismic>
What is the meaning of seismic spectral blueing?
Kunal Rathod
# What is the meaning of seismic spectral blueing?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-06-25)

What is the meaning of seismic spectral blueing? Please cite any good introductory materials if possible.

**Tags:** geophysics, seismology, waves, wave-modeling, seismic

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Please check the post: http://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/972/why-is-colored-seismic-inversion-called-colored/976#976  
> **username_2**: This question should be reopened. It is not a duplicate of the question about coloured inversion. Furthermore, that question is a bit confusing because the incorrect answer was chosen.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2015-06-30. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

**It is a kind of spectral shaping, intended to increase the vertical resolution of seismic reflection data.**

The logic goes like this:

* Seismic data is [band-limited](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandlimiting) and lacks high frequencies. This limits its vertical (travel time, and thus thickness) resolution. This is annoying because we often care about thin beds.
* The spectral peak of seismic data tends to be at a fairly low frequency compared to its total band. That is, the longer wavelengths are disproportionately strong compared to the short ones. Thinking of an analogy with the electromagnetic spectrum, we could say that the spectrum is reddish.
* We assume that geology is whitish, or scale free, so all 'frequencies' are represented (when we're in the time domain, they are frequencies; when in depth they are [wavenumbers](http://www.agilegeoscience.com/blog/2012/5/1/k-is-for-wavenumber.html)).
* So maybe we can reshape the seismic spectrum to more closely match the geological spectrum, as derived from logs, by boosting the higher seismic frequencies a bit.
* One way to do this is to design an operator, a sort of wavelet, with which to convolve the seismic data. The result would be the seismic with the boosted frequencies.

[Here's one example of the application of the method](http://www.spgindia.org/2010/367.pdf) [PDF] from Yadav et al. (2010).

It's just my opinion, but I'd treat the idea and the method with the same skepticism as any method claiming to enhance seismic resolution. That said, I'm sure there's a champion of blueing for every detractor. *Caveat interpretor.*

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks a lot. I would hereby like to make my doubt clear between SEismic inversion and spectral blueing. Initially I thought colored inversion and blueing are one and the same. But now I find both are different things. Seismic Inversion takes care of lower frequencies and helps the interpreter to visualize the section in terms of the impedance values whereas blueing I see as the processing job done to enhance the seismic data itself. I hope I'm right. I'm yet to go through the link (paper by Yadav et al.) that you've sent. Pretty soon I'll go through that too. Again thanks a lot. cheers!!  
> **username_2**: Sure thing username_0. I would add that 'inversion' is really a large set, including any process that moves from seismic back towards geology. [See this post](http://www.agilegeoscience.com/blog/2013/4/16/backwards-and-forwards-reasoning.html), and others in that series.  

---

