Stratigraphic differentiation for the recognition of geological units on single-channel seismic lines through the use of the 2D Fast Fourier Transform: an application example created in the Gulf of Naples

The seismic-stratigraphic analysis of single-channel seismic profiles does not provide reliable information on the nature of the materials identified in the absence of direct investigations; therefore, it is often affected by interpretative subjectivity. In this work, we use the 2D Fast Fourier Transform, applied to samples extracted from areas of interest, as a method to obtain a database of signatures (characterisation indices) for post-processing identification of geological units. This method is applied to discriminate Holocene marine units from volcanoclastic units present in the geological records of the Gulf of Naples. The results show how the signatures of these units are specific and, consequently, can be well distinguished using the proposed method. The method is corroborated by the statistical analysis carried out on single shots extracted from the seismic lines. Although the proposed method may lead to misinterpretations in some specific cases, as discussed in the paper, it offers geologists important help in rapidly and effectively classifying seismic units.