Geologic processes in sedimentary basins inferred from three-dimensional seismic imaging

Three-dimensional seismic reflection data are now being used to understand a range of fundamental geological processes. However, like most geological investigative tools, it is the products of geological processes that are revealed by these data rather than the processes themselves; processes inevitably need to be inferred. We outline how the interpretation of three-dimensional seismic data is undertaken in sedimentary basins and then describe selected examples of recent applications of these data with the objective of showing how sedimentary basin processes can be unraveled from seismic imagery. These examples cover the diverse disciplines of (1) geomorphology and process sedimentology, (2) diagenetic processes, (3) magma intrusion into the upper continental crust, and (4) fluid flow in sedimentary basins.