Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
Income Statement [Abstract]
Revenue from services	$ 35,814	$ 89,537	$ 161,199	$ 182,592
Type of Revenue [Extensible List]	us-gaap:ServiceMember	us-gaap:ServiceMember	us-gaap:ServiceMember	us-gaap:ServiceMember
Cost of services	$ 24,166	$ 74,922	$ 113,425	$ 145,047
Type of Cost, Good or Service [Extensible List]	us-gaap:ServiceMember	us-gaap:ServiceMember	us-gaap:ServiceMember	us-gaap:ServiceMember
Depreciation and amortization	$ 3,809	$ 3,613	$ 8,942	$ 6,475
Gross profit	7,839	11,002	38,832	31,070
Operating expenses:
Selling, general and administrative expenses	9,263	10,821	21,412	20,108
Misappropriation of funds		121		273
Total operating expenses	9,263	10,942	21,412	20,381
Operating (loss) income	(1,424)	60	17,420	10,689
Other (expense) income, net:
Interest expense, net	(3,607)	(3,632)	(7,315)	(7,129)
Foreign exchange gain (loss), net	680	373	(4,774)	500
Other income, net	174	784	1,102	913
Total other expense, net	(2,753)	(2,475)	(10,987)	(5,716)
(Loss) income before income taxes	(4,177)	(2,415)	6,433	4,973
Income taxes	230	2,853	771	6,519
Net (loss) income	(4,407)	(5,268)	5,662	(1,546)
Less: net income attributable to noncontrolling interest	1,187	1,164	2,607	2,573
Net (loss) income attributable to SAExploration	$ (5,594)	$ (6,432)	$ 3,055	$ (4,119)
Basic	$ (0.56)	$ (0.81)	$ 0.31	$ (0.53)
Diluted	$ (0.56)	$ (0.81)	$ 0.31	$ (0.53)
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic	9,969	7,919	9,968	7,761
Diluted	9,969	7,919	10,016	7,761