Trace density

The number of traces summed into the natural bin in a seismic survey.

Computing fold
We compute fold F according to the equation


 * $$F = \frac{\pi X^2_\mathrm{max}}{4 S R} $$

and trace density T using:


 * $$T = F \times \frac{4}{s r} \times 10^6 $$

using the following parameters:


 * Maximum offset Xmax: the maximum offset recorded in the patch. If this is not known, and you are more interested in the fold at a given depth, then use the target depth instead.


 * Source line spacing, S: the distance between source lines.


 * Source interval, s: the distance between the source points along the source lines.


 * Receiver line spacing, R: the distance between receiver lines.


 * Receiver interval, r: the distance between the receiver points (sometimes called 'stations') along the receiver lines.

Seismic quality
Cooper suggests a high-level guide for selecting an appropriate trace density, depending on the imaging problem at hand (modified here, based on oil sands applications):