The accuracy of estimating Q from seismic data

A major aim of seismic interpretation is the inference of petrophysical properties of reservoir rocks. Because the inversion from seismic to petrophysical characteristics is far from unique, this task requires a range of seismic parameters, prominent among which are seismic velocity, impedance, and Poisson's ratio. The inclusion of seismic absorption in this list could add desirable complementary information. For example, absorption may be more sensitive to clay content than seismic velocity (Klimento and McCann, 1990). However seismic absorption is difficult to measure, particularly over depth intervals as short as most reservoir intervals.