METHOD FOR PROCESSING TIME LAPSED SEISMIC DATA SIGNALS

A non-rigid method of matching two (12, 14) or more sets of seismic data signals obtained from the same subsurface area involving the steps of decomposing (20) the sets of seismic data signals into sample sets, generating displacement vectors (26) indicating directions and amounts samples from one sample set may be translated to better match samples from the other sample set, and translating (30) samples along the displacement vectors to produce a seismic image of the subsurface area. This method is particularly adapted for use in analyzing time-lapsed seismic images of petroleum reservoirs to monitor the movement of fluids within the reservoirs.