Condensed Consolidating Financial Information - Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 52,056	$ 52,652	$ 84,933		$ 173,608
Accounts receivable, net	19,478	20,770
Unbilled receivables	37,304	13,415
Inventories	14,508	15,241
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	7,643	9,559
Total current assets	130,989	111,637
Deferred income tax asset	1,753	0
Property, plant, equipment and seismic rental equipment, net	52,153	67,488
Multi-client data library, net	89,300	105,935
Investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Goodwill	24,089	22,208	26,274
Intangible assets, net	1,666	3,103
Intercompany receivables	0	0
Other assets	1,119	2,845
Total assets	301,069	313,216
Current liabilities:
Current maturities of long-term debt	40,024	14,581
Accounts payable	24,951	26,889
Accrued expenses	38,697	26,240
Accrued multi-client data library royalties	27,035	23,663
Deferred revenue	8,910	3,709
Total current liabilities	139,617	95,082
Long-term debt, net of current maturities	116,720	144,209
Intercompany payables	0	0
Other long-term liabilities	13,926	20,527
Total liabilities	270,263	259,818
Equity:
Common stock	120	118
Additional paid-in capital	903,247	899,198
Accumulated earnings (deficit)	(854,921)	(824,679)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(18,879)	(21,748)
Due from ION Geophysical Corporation	0	0
Treasury stock		0
Total stockholders’ equity	29,567	52,889
Noncontrolling interests	1,239	509
Total equity	30,806	53,398	112,040	[1]	135,712
Total liabilities and equity	301,069	313,216
Reportable Legal Entities | ION Geophysical Corporation
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	39,344	23,042	33,734		109,514
Accounts receivable, net	50	0
Unbilled receivables	0	0
Inventories	0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	2,427	3,387
Total current assets	41,821	26,429
Deferred income tax asset	1,264
Property, plant, equipment and seismic rental equipment, net	511	1,745
Multi-client data library, net	0	0
Investment in subsidiaries	693,679	660,880
Goodwill	0	0
Intangible assets, net	0	0
Intercompany receivables	0	0
Other assets	686	2,469
Total assets	737,961	691,523
Current liabilities:
Current maturities of long-term debt	39,774	11,281
Accounts payable	1,774	2,101
Accrued expenses	12,284	8,579
Accrued multi-client data library royalties	0	0
Deferred revenue	0	0
Total current liabilities	53,832	21,961
Long-term debt, net of current maturities	116,691	143,930
Intercompany payables	537,417	472,276
Other long-term liabilities	454	467
Total liabilities	708,394	638,634
Equity:
Common stock	120	118
Additional paid-in capital	903,247	899,198
Accumulated earnings (deficit)	(854,921)	(824,679)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(18,879)	(21,748)
Due from ION Geophysical Corporation	0	0
Treasury stock		0
Total stockholders’ equity	29,567	52,889
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	29,567	52,889
Total liabilities and equity	737,961	691,523
Reportable Legal Entities | The Guarantors
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0		0
Accounts receivable, net	9,374	12,775
Unbilled receivables	16,666	5,275
Inventories	8,686	8,610
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	769	4,624
Total current assets	35,495	31,284
Deferred income tax asset	0
Property, plant, equipment and seismic rental equipment, net	7,170	12,369
Multi-client data library, net	62,438	97,369
Investment in subsidiaries	321,934	257,732
Goodwill	0	0
Intangible assets, net	1,666	3,008
Intercompany receivables	132,184	0
Other assets	145	145
Total assets	561,032	401,907
Current liabilities:
Current maturities of long-term debt	250	3,166
Accounts payable	20,982	19,720
Accrued expenses	15,601	10,016
Accrued multi-client data library royalties	26,824	23,663
Deferred revenue	3,201	2,667
Total current liabilities	66,858	59,232
Long-term debt, net of current maturities	29	279
Intercompany payables	0	10,155
Other long-term liabilities	6,084	12,117
Total liabilities	72,971	81,783
Equity:
Common stock	290,460	290,460
Additional paid-in capital	180,701	180,700
Accumulated earnings (deficit)	248,770	216,730
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	4,372	4,420
Due from ION Geophysical Corporation	(236,242)	(372,186)
Treasury stock
Total stockholders’ equity	488,061	320,124
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	488,061	320,124
Total liabilities and equity	561,032	401,907
Reportable Legal Entities | All Other Subsidiaries
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	12,712	29,610	$ 51,199		$ 64,094
Accounts receivable, net	10,054	7,995
Unbilled receivables	20,638	8,140
Inventories	5,822	6,631
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	4,447	1,548
Total current assets	53,673	53,924
Deferred income tax asset	489
Property, plant, equipment and seismic rental equipment, net	44,472	53,374
Multi-client data library, net	26,862	8,566
Investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Goodwill	24,089	22,208
Intangible assets, net	0	95
Intercompany receivables	90,227	32,174
Other assets	288	231
Total assets	240,100	170,572
Current liabilities:
Current maturities of long-term debt	0	134
Accounts payable	2,195	5,068
Accrued expenses	10,812	7,645
Accrued multi-client data library royalties	211	0
Deferred revenue	5,709	1,042
Total current liabilities	18,927	13,889
Long-term debt, net of current maturities	0	0
Intercompany payables	0	0
Other long-term liabilities	7,388	7,943
Total liabilities	26,315	21,832
Equity:
Common stock	49,394	19,138
Additional paid-in capital	202,290	232,590
Accumulated earnings (deficit)	59,307	(3,639)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(19,681)	(21,787)
Due from ION Geophysical Corporation	(78,764)	(78,071)
Treasury stock
Total stockholders’ equity	212,546	148,231
Noncontrolling interests	1,239	509
Total equity	213,785	148,740
Total liabilities and equity	240,100	170,572
Consolidating Adjustments
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Accounts receivable, net	0	0
Unbilled receivables	0	0
Inventories	0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	0	0
Total current assets	0	0
Deferred income tax asset	0
Property, plant, equipment and seismic rental equipment, net	0	0
Multi-client data library, net	0	0
Investment in subsidiaries	(1,015,613)	(918,612)
Goodwill	0	0
Intangible assets, net	0	0
Intercompany receivables	(222,411)	(32,174)
Other assets	0	0
Total assets	(1,238,024)	(950,786)
Current liabilities:
Current maturities of long-term debt	0	0
Accounts payable	0	0
Accrued expenses	0	0
Accrued multi-client data library royalties	0	0
Deferred revenue	0	0
Total current liabilities	0	0
Long-term debt, net of current maturities	0	0
Intercompany payables	(537,417)	(482,431)
Other long-term liabilities	0	0
Total liabilities	(537,417)	(482,431)
Equity:
Common stock	(339,854)	(309,598)
Additional paid-in capital	(382,991)	(413,290)
Accumulated earnings (deficit)	(308,077)	(213,091)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	15,309	17,367
Due from ION Geophysical Corporation	315,006	450,257
Treasury stock
Total stockholders’ equity	(700,607)	(468,355)
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	(700,607)	(468,355)
Total liabilities and equity	$ (1,238,024)	$ (950,786)

[1] The figures for 2015, set forth in the tables above have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the one-for-fifteen reverse stock split completed on February 4, 2016.