Continuous Wavelet Transform – A Study in Enhancement of Signal Amplitude Spectra

Analytic transformations of complex signals provide new perspectives of the intrinsic properties of these observations. Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) permits spatial presentation of the frequency and amplitude properties of the signal. This specific feature of the method allows investigation of non-stationary signals, which is not possible with Fourier Transform. The signal enhancement process requires selection of a mother and subsequent daughter wavelets, which depend on the spectral conditions of the data of interest. Examples illustrate that CWT enhances the upper end of the frequencies of even vintage seismic reflections from the sedimentary basin environments. Distinct structural architecture of local tensional fractures zones, barely recognizable on the original data sets, are revealed by the implementation of CWT. Similar implementation of the technique to recent field data, from the same locality, significantly broadens the spectral band of the reflection waveforms improving both the vertical and horizontal resolution. Mapping of complex fractures are more detailed after CWT processing of records from crystalline basement environments.