However, Claerbout found the sparse availability and low quality of earthquake seismic data frustrating and decided to study atmospheric gravity waves during his PhD.
Claerbout is the founder of the Stanford Exploration Project (SEP), the first geophysical research consortium funded by the oil and gas industry.
He was one of the first scientists to emphasize that computational methods threaten the reproducibility of research unless open access is provided to both the data and the software underlying a publication.
In 1988, Claerbout was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for original and pioneering studies that revolutionized seismic wave analysis and greatly aided the international search for petroleum.
He is the youngest ever recipient of the Maurice Ewing Medal of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, having received this award in 1992 for lifetime achievements when he was in his early fifties.