Income Taxes (Details)	12 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 State and Local Jurisdiction [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 Foreign Federal Jurisdiction [Member] CAD	Dec. 31, 2014 Foreign Provincial Jurisdiction [Member] CAD	Dec. 31, 2014 Alternative Minimum Tax Credit Carryforward [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2011 Seitel Canada [Member] Canada Revenue Agency [Member] CAD
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]
Decrease during the period	$ 0	$ 100,492,000
NOL carryforwards				170,300,000	1,800,000	8,700,000	6,300,000
AMT credit carryforward								2,500,000
Income taxes paid	2,300,000	8,000,000	3,200,000						7,700,000
Unrecognized tax benefits that would impact the effective income tax rate if recognized in future periods	5,300,000
Deferred tax assets related to uncertain positions	5,900,000
Deferred income tax asset	81,744,000	92,511,000
Unrecognized tax benefits, accrued interest	1,000,000	900,000
Unrecognized tax benefits, accrued penalties	900,000	1,000,000
Interest on unrecognized tax benefits	$ 186,000	$ 199,000	$ 189,000