Lateral Interpretation: A New Method for High Resolution Seismic Stratigraphy

Abstract

Interpretation of seismic reflectors is fundamental to seismic stratigraphy, yet manually delineating high-resolution stratigraphic horizons remains subjective and labor-intensive. We present Lateral Interpretation (LI), a new method for constructing high-resolution horizon geometries from 2D seismic profiles. LI consists of four sequential steps: (1) contour extraction, (2) reflector connection using a Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) optimization framework, (3) automated onlap/downlap connection, and (4) lateral extension with vertical smoothing. We implemented the full workflow in an open-source software package equipped with a graphical user interface, enabling both fully automated processing and seamless integration with manual interpretation. To evaluate the performance of LI, we utilized the Dutch F3 block dataset, which contains the North Sea Groups. We assessed the lateral consistency of three representative horizons in a benchmark seismic dataset using cross-correlation across multiple adjacent inlines, obtaining an average R2 of 0.84. We further applied LI to distinguish three stratigraphic units within the upper Eridanos delta of the Dutch F3 block. The automatically derived horizons showed excellent agreement with manual interpretations, with correlation values ranging from 0.70 (Unit 1) to 0.99 (top of Unit 3). These results demonstrate that LI reliably reproduces manual-quality stratigraphic interpretations while offering a fast, objective, and reproducible alternative. The method holds strong potential for broader applications, including high-resolution seismic stratigraphy and inverse analyses of sea-level fluctuations.