Zero Phase Wavelet:

The zero-phase wavelet has the shortest duration and largest peak amplitude of any signal with the same amplitude spectrum. The wavelet is symmetrical with a maximum at time zero (non-causal).The phase of the zero phase is zero for all frequency components contained within the signal The fact that energy arrives before time zero is not physically realisable but the wavelet is useful for increased resolving power and ease of picking reflection events (peak or trough)

Advantages of Zero phase Wavelet:

Significant improvements in the quality of seismic data are viewed when wavelets are converted in to zero phase wavelet from minimum phase by extracting the wavelet and filtering the data.Zero phase data will improve the accuracy of the interpreted subsurface geology and provide the correct input to many software packages. The zero phase wavelets sharp nose provides a clear image of the top sands and its flat belly does not interfere with the neighboring reflectors.In general the seismic data containing zero phase wavelet have a better over all reflector continuity better fault definition and more easily identified stratigraphic relationships while the mixed phase wavelet is sharp Pinocchio like nose at the top of the sand but is followed by a low frequency beer gut. When sesmic data contains a mixed phased wavelet each reflector has this Pinocchio with a beer gut character

Absorption also effect zero phase wavelet reducing high frequencies and thereby stretching the wavelet How ever since all the frequencies are zero phased the seismic wave represent the true image of geology.

The most striking improvement seen In zero phase seismic data is the ability to define faults more accurately. The mixed phase wavelet beer gut which has grown with depth due to absorption is hanging in the faults, Noses on the other side of the fault are smeared out by the beer guts from above Other significant improvements seen in zero phase seismic data are the improved continuity of reflectors and the imaging of geologic details needed for stratigraphic interpretations

REFERENCES
http://www.xsgeo.com/course/basic.htm http://www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com/Display.cfm?Term=zero-phase http://www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com/DisplayImage.cfm?ID=292 http://www.searchanddiscovery.com/documents/geophysical/henry/images/fig07.htm http://www.searchanddiscovery.com/documents/geophysical/henry/images/fig08.htm http://www.searchanddiscovery.com/documents/geophysical/henry/images/fig09.htm http://www.searchanddiscovery.com/documents/geophysical/henry/images/henry.pdf Http://www.seismicmicro.com/pdf/smt_preso_seismic_data_phase.pdf http://www.spgindia.org/2006/314.pdf