Book excerpt: Seismic Exploration of Hydrocarbons in Heterogeneous Reservoirs: New Theories, Methods and Applications is based on the field research conducted over the past decade by an authoring team of five of the world's leading geoscientists. In recent years, the exploration targets of world's oil companies have become more complex. The direct detection of hydrocarbons based on seismic wave data in heterogeneous oil/gas reservoirs has become a hot spot in the research of applied and exploration geophysics. The relevant theories, approaches and applications, which the authors have worked on for years and have established mature technical processes for industrial application, are of significant meaning to the further study and practice of engineers, researchers and students in related area. - Authored by a team of geophysicists in industry and academia with a range of field, instruction, and research experience in hydrocarbon exploration - Nearly 200 figures, photographs, and illustrations aid in the understanding of the fundamental concepts and techniques - Presents the latest research in wave propagation theory, unconventional resources, experimental study, multi-component seismic processing and imaging, rock physics modeling and quantitative seismic interpretation - Sophisticated approach to research systematically forms an industrial work flow for geoscience and engineering practice