Abstract Seismic imaging beneath shallow (<5 km) Palaeogene basaltic volcanic successions on the Faroe–Shetland Margin is very challenging with conventional seismic methods. Consequently, the interpretational uncertainty that surrounds the sub-basalt structure of the region is a major source of exploration risk. This study uses gravity and magnetic data in conjunction with seismic data to map the sub-basalt structure of the Faroe–Shetland Basin and model the crustal architecture of this part of the Atlantic margin. Four crustal types are recognized using gravity data: oceanic, intruded transitional, stretched continental and normal continental crust. Map-based interpretation of the gravity and magnetic data helps redefine the basins, highs and faults in the region. The structural interpretation suggests that the boundary between normal and stretched continental crust is coincident with the long-lived left-lateral ‘West Shetland Shear Zone’, which partitioned strain during rifting of the margin. 2D/2.5D gravity and magnetic models are shown for two seismic profiles from the PGS FSB MegaSurveyPlus. The models suggest highly thinned crust, which was intruded by mafic magma beneath the Flett sub-basin, and an asymmetry to the rifting, which is consistent with a process of Wernicke simple shear.

Abstract Elements of Seismic Dispersion: A Somewhat Practical Guide to Frequency-dependent Phenomena (SEG Distinguished Instructor Series No. 15) covers selected effects encountered in the acquisition, processing, and interpretation of reflectionseismic data. The material, based on the 2012 SEG Distinguished Instructor Short Course, shows how those phenomena arise, how they can be characterized, and the important information they contain. The text shows how spectral decomposition and time-frequency methods have led to improved understanding and use of nonlinear harmonics, near-surface guided waves, layer-induced anisotropy, velocity dispersion and attenuation, interference, and Biot reflection. Accessible discussion is augmented by examples, figures, and references to primary literature for further study. This book will interest technical managers and those who work in acquisition, processing, and interpretation of seismic data. (DISC on DVD, 761A, is also available.)