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nature inferred from the bed geometry, so building up a detailed, three-
dimensional picture of an area. Obviously, the orientation of the seismic line
in relation to the sequence boundaries is important because a section parallel
to the depositional strike will show spuriously conformable sequences. Figure
4-12 is part of a seismic record section across the Exmouth Plateau off
Western Australia, in a water depth of about 1 km. It reveals a delta that
could be mapped.
The detail obtainable in modern seismic record sections extends to gas/
liquid contacts on some. These “bright spots” or “flat spots” result from
reflection from the interface, but they do not always indicate commercial
accumulations and their absence is certainly never to be construed as an
absence of petroleum. The final test of whether or not there is a commer-
cial accumulation of petroleum can only be made by drilling.

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