Income Taxes (Details)	12 Months Ended									12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2011 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 CAD	Dec. 31, 2013 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 State and Local Jurisdiction [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 Foreign Federal Jurisdiction [Member] CAD	Dec. 31, 2013 Foreign Tax Authority [Member] CAD	Dec. 31, 2013 Alternative Minimum Tax Credit Carryforward [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2011 Seitel Canada [Member] Canada [Member] CAD	Dec. 31, 2012 State and Local Jurisdiction [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) [Member] USD ($)
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]
Decrease during the period	$ 100,492,000	$ 7,574,000									$ (600,000)	$ 8,100,000
Federal net operating loss					190,600,000	2,600,000	2,500,000	1,200,000
AMT credit carryforward									2,200,000
Income tax refund	7,441,000	0		7,900,000
Payments for income tax penalties										7,700,000
Unrecognized tax benefits would impact the effective income tax rate if recognized in future periods	5,800,000
Deferred Tax Assets Related to Uncertain Positions	5,900,000
Deferred income tax asset	92,511,000	84,000
Unrecognized tax benefits, accrued interest	900,000	700,000
Unrecognized tax benefits, accrued penalties	1,000,000	1,000,000
Interest and penalties on unrecognized tax benefits	$ 199,000	$ 189,000	$ 235,000