Nonstationary Phase Estimation for Analysis of Wavelet Character

Phase mismatches sometimes occur between final processed seismic sections and zero-phase synthetics based on well logs – despite best efforts for controlled-phase acquisition and processing. Statistical estimation of the phase of a seismic wavelet is feasible using kurtosis maximization by constant phase rotation, even if the phase is nonstationary. After estimation, we achieve space-and-time-varying zero-phasing by phase rotation. We demonstrate how a statistical analysis provides pertinent information about the data that can be used for zero-phasing, as a quality control to check deterministic phase corrections, or even as an interpretive tool for highlighting areas of potential interest.