Walter Kessinger: The SEG-Y Format

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The SEG-Y Format for Geophysical Data

Written by Ken Gaillot Jr.
Last updated 10 June 1994
Based on Digital Tape Standards published by the Society of
Exploration Geophysicists (SEG)

SEG-Y
The SEG-Y format is one of several tape standards developed by the
Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG). It is the most common
format used for seismic data in the exploration and production
industry. However, it was created in 1973 and many different
'modernized' flavors exist.
SEG-Y was designed for storing a single line of seismic data on
IBM 9-track tapes attached to IBM mainframe computers. Most of the
variations in modern SEG-Y varieties result from trying to
overcome these limitations.
Some of the features of SEG-Y which are outdated today include:
z

z
z

EBCDIC descriptive header (rather than the now-standard

ASCII)
IBM floating-point data (rather than the now-standard IEEE)
single line storage (rather than the now-common 3D surveys)

The official standard SEG-Y consists of the following components:

z
z
z

a 3200-byte EBCDIC descriptive reel header record

a 400-byte binary reel header record
trace records consisting of
{ a 240-byte binary trace header
{ trace data

As mentioned earlier there are many variations of the standard.

The SEG-Y EBCDIC Reel Header

The EBCDIC reel header is equivalent to 40 IBM punch-cards
(EBCDIC? punchcards? Welcome to the 70's, man!). The official
layout of these 80-character cards is the EBCDIC equivalent of the
following:
12345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890
C 1 CLIENT
COMPANY
CREW NO
C 2 LINE
AREA
MAP ID
C 3 REEL NO
DAY-START OF REEL
YEAR
OBSERVER

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Walter Kessinger: The SEG-Y Format

C 4
C 5
C 6
C 7
C 8
C 9
C10
C11
C12
C13
C14
C15
C16
C17
C18
C19
C20
C21
C22
C23
C24
C25
C26
C27
C28
C29
C30
C31
C32
C33
C34
C35
C36
C37
C38
C39
C40

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INSTRUMENT: MFG
MODEL
SERIAL NO
DATA TRACES/RECORD
AUXILIARY TRACES/RECORD
CDP FOLD
SAMPLE INTERVAL
SAMPLES/TRACE
BITS/IN
BYTES/SAMPLE
RECORDING FORMAT
FORMAT THIS REEL
MEASUREMENT SYSTEM
SAMPLE CODE: FLOATING PT
FIXED PT
FIXED PT-GAIN
CORRELATED
GAIN TYPE: FIXED
BINARY
FLOATING POINT
OTHER
FILTERS: ALIAS
HZ NOTCH
HZ BAND
HZ SLOPE
DB/OCT
SOURCE: TYPE
NUMBER/POINT
POINT INTERVAL
PATTERN:
LENGTH
WIDTH
SWEEP: START
HZ END
HZ LENGTH
MS CHANNEL NO
TYPE
TAPER: START LENGTH
MS END LENGTH
MS TYPE
SPREAD: OFFSET
MAX DISTANCE
GROUP INTERVAL
GEOPHONES: PER GROUP
SPACING
FREQUENCY
MFG
MODEL
PATTERN:
LENGTH
WIDTH
TRACES SORTED BY: RECORD
CDP
OTHER
AMPLITUDE RECOVERY: NONE
SPHERICAL DIV
AGC
OTHER
MAP PROJECTION
ZONE ID
COORDINATE UNITS
PROCESSING:
PROCESSING:

END EBCDIC

The blank spaces in the cards are fill-in-the-blanks. For example,

the client's name is intended to go in the space after 'CLIENT' in
the first card. Multiple-choice entries like 'SAMPLE CODE' in card
8 are intended to have the appropriate choice (such as 'FLOATING
PT') marked with an 'X'.
Cards 21 through 40 are intended for general descriptions such as
the data set's processing history.

The SEG-Y Binary Reel Header

The binary reel header contains much information about the data.
Much of this information is optional, that is, the entire header
is not required to be valid. In fact, none of it is required to be
valid, although some fields are strongly recommended.
The 400 bytes contain 2-byte and 4-byte integers in the following
layout:

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Walter Kessinger: The SEG-Y Format

Bytes
001
005
009
013
015
017
019
021
023
025

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Description
004
008
012
014
016
018
020
022
024
026

*
*
*
*
*
*
*

027 - 028 *
029 - 030

031
033
035
037
039

032
034
036
038
040

041
043
045
047

042
044
046
048

049 - 050
051 - 052
053 - 054

055 - 056 *
057 - 058
059 - 060

061 - 400

Job identification number.

Line number.
Reel number.
Number of data traces per record.
Number of auxiliary traces per record.
Sample interval of this reel's data in microseconds.
Sample interval of original field recording in microseconds.
Number of samples per trace for this reel's data.
Number of samples per trace in original field recording.
Data sample format code:
1 = 32-bit IBM floating point
2 = 32-bit fixed-point (integer)
3 = 16-bit fixed-point (integer)
4 = 32-bit fixed-point with gain code (integer)
CDP fold (expected number of data traces per ensemble).
Trace sorting code:
1 = as recorded
2 = CDP ensemble
3 = single fold continuous profile
4 = horizontally stacked
Vertical sum code (1 = no sum, 2 = two sum, ...)
Sweep frequency at start in Hertz.
Sweep frequency at end in Hertz.
Sweep length in milliseconds.
Sweep type code:
1 = linear
2 = parabolic
3 = exponential
4 = other
Trace number of sweep channel.
Sweep trace taper length at start in milliseconds.
Sweep trace taper length at end in milliseconds.
Taper type code:
1 = linear
2 = cosine squared
3 = other
Correlated data traces (1 = no, 2 = yes).
Binary gain recovered (1 = yes, 2 = no).
Amplitude recovery method code:
1 = one
2 = spherical divergence
3 = AGC
4 = other
Measurement system (1 = meters, 2 = feet).
Impulse signal polarity (increase in pressure or upward
geophone case movement gives 1=negative or 2=positive number).
Vibratory polarity code (seismic lags pilot signal by):
1 = 337.5 to 22.5 degrees
2 = 22.5 to 67.5 degrees
3 = 67.5 to 112.5 degrees
4 = 112.5 to 157.5 degrees
5 = 157.5 to 202.5 degrees
6 = 202.5 to 247.5 degrees
7 = 247.5 to 292.5 degrees
8 = 292.5 to 337.5 degrees
Unassigned (for optional information).

* strongly recommended

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The SEG-Y Trace Header

The 240-byte binary trace header consists of 2-byte and 4-byte
integers in the following layout:
Bytes

Description

001
005
009
013
017
021
025
029

004
008
012
016
020
024
028
030

031
033
035
037
041
045
049
053
057
061
065
069
071
073
077
081
085
089
091
093
095
097
099
101
103
105
107
109
111
113
115
117
119

032
034
036
040
044
048
052
056
060
064
068
070
072
076
080
084
088
090
092
094
096
098
100
102
104
106
108
110
112
114
116
118
120

* Trace sequence number within line.

Trace sequence number within reel.
* Original field record number.
* Trace sequence number within original field record.
Energy source point number.
CDP ensemble number.
Trace sequence number within CDP ensemble.
* Trace identification code:
1 = seismic data
2 = dead
3 = dummy
4 = time break
5 = uphole
6 = sweep
7 = timing
8 = water break
9+ = optional use
Number of vertically summed traces yielding this trace.
Number of horizontally stacked traced yielding this trace.
Data use (1 = production, 2 = test).
Distance from source point to receiver group.
Receiver group elevation.
Surface elevation at source.
Source depth below surface.
Datum elevation at receiver group.
Datum elevation at source.
Water depth at source.
Water depth at receiver group.
Scalar for elevations and depths (+ = multiplier, - = divisor).
Scalar for coordinates (+ = multiplier, - = divisor).
X source coordinate.
Y source coordinate.
X receiver group coordinate.
Y receiver group coordinate.
Coordinate units (1 = length in meters or feet, 2 = arc seconds).
Weathering velocity.
Subweathering velocity.
Uphole time at source.
Uphole time at receiver group.
Source static correction.
Receiver group static correction.
Total static applied.
Lag time between end of header and time break in milliseconds.
Lag time between time break and shot in milliseconds.
Lag time beteen shot and recording start in milliseconds.
Start of mute time.
End of mute time.
* Number of samples in this trace.
* Sample interval of this trace in microseconds.
Field instrument gain type code:

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121
123
125
127
129
131
133

122
124
126
128
130
132
134

135 - 136
137 - 138
139 - 140

141
143
145
147
149
151
153
155
157
159
161
163
165
167
169
171
173
175
177
179
181

142
144
146
148
150
152
154
156
158
160
162
164
166
168
170
172
174
176
178
180
240

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1 = fixed
2 = binary
3 = floating point
4+ = optional use
Instrument gain constant.
Intrument early gain in decibels.
Correlated (1 = no, 2 = yes).
Sweep frequency at start.
Sweep fequency at end.
Sweep length in milliseconds.
Sweep type code:
1 = linear
2 = parabolic
3 = exponential
4 = other
Sweep taper trace length at start in milliseconds.
Sweep taper trace length at end in milliseconds.
Taper type code:
1 = linear
2 = cosine squared
3 = other
Alias filter frequency.
Alias filter slope.
Notch filter frequency.
Notch filter slope.
Low cut frequency.
High cut frequency.
Low cut slope.
High cut slope.
Year data recorded.
Day of year.
Hour of day (24-hour clock).
Minute of hour.
Second of minute.
Time basis (1 = local, 2 = GMT, 3 = other).
Trace weighting factor for fixed-point format data.
Geophone group number of roll switch position one.
Geophone group number of first trace of original field record.
Geophone group number of last trace of original field record.
Gap size (total number of groups dropped).
Overtravel associated with taper (1 = down/behind, 2 = up/ahead).
Unassigned (for optional information).

* strongly recommended

The SEG-Y Trace Data

Seismic data is acquired by generating a loud sound at one
location and recording the resulting rumblings at another
location.
The source or shot which generates the sound is typically an
explosion or vibration at the Earth's surface (land or sea). Each
shot is recorded by many receivers. Generally a line of shots is
fired. If one line is recorded, the data is a 2D survey, and if
more than one line is recorded, the data is a 3D survey.

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The object of recording is to infer geological subsurface

structure from the strength (amplitude) of the recorded signal at
different times in the recording.
A trace begins life as the recording from one receiver. The
recording is sampled at some discrete interval, typically around 4
milliseconds, and lasts for some duration, typically 4 or more
seconds. After the initial recording, the traces are processed in
any number of ways. This processing usually changes the absolute
amplitudes such that amplitude units are irrelevant, and only
relative amplitudes are significant. Also the trace may reflect a
logical ordering different from the original (shot,receiver) pair.
But in the end, seismic data is almost always stored as a sequence
of traces, each trace consisting of amplitude samples for one
location (physical or logical).

SEG-Y Variations
Many variations of SEG-Y exist, most created to overcome SEG-Y's
limitations.
The EBCDIC reel header is usually completely ignored, and when it
is used, it may or may not follow the standard template, and it
may even be in ASCII format.
The binary reel header is almost completely ignored. None of the
fields should be assumed to be correct, although the number of
samples per trace and the sample rate usually are. Often, programs
that use the SEG-Y format will read values from the binary header
by default but allow the user to override the header values.
The trace header contains important information but not always in
the locations specified by the standard. To adapt SEG-Y for 3D
surveys, a line number field is often added somewhere in the trace
header. Programs that use values from the SEG-Y trace header
usually allow the user to specify the byte location and length of
the values.
The trace data is most often in 32-bit IBM floating point format.
Occasionally 32-bit IEEE floating-point format is used.
Although the standard applies only to tapes, SEG-Y has been
adapted for storing surveys on disk as well. Disk files have no
record marks or file marks, so traditional methods of reading from
tapes don't work with files. There are several SEG-Y disk
adaptations: a binary file with 3200-byte and 400-byte headers
followed by traces, a binary file with just traces, and Fortran
sequential-access files which have 3200-byte and 400-byte headers
followed by traces but with Fortran record marks separating them.

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A similar and common format is a flat file of trace data with no

reel or trace headers.

Walter[at]Kessinger[dot]com

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