Using the continuous wavelet transform (CWT), the time-frequency analysis of reflection seismic data can provide significant information to delineate subsurface reservoirs. However, CWT is limited by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, with a trade-off between time and frequency localizations. Meanwhile, the mother wavelet should be adapted to the real seismic waveform. Therefore, for a reflection seismic signal, we have developed a progressive wavelet family that is referred to as generalized beta wavelets (GBWs). By varying two parameters controlling the wavelet shapes, the time-frequency representation of GBWs can be given sufficient flexibility while remaining exactly analytic. To achieve an adaptive trade-off between time-frequency localizations, an optimization workflow is designed to estimate suitable parameters of GBWs in the time-frequency analysis of seismic data. For noise-free and noisy synthetic signals from a depositional cycle model, the results of spectral component using CWT with GBWs display its flexibility and robustness in the adaptive time-frequency representation. Finally, we have applied CWT with GBWs on 3D seismic data to show its potential to discriminate stacked fluvial channels in the vertical sections and to delineate more distinct fluvial channels in the horizontal slices. CWT with GBWs provides a potential technique to improve the resolution of exploration seismic interpretation.
