Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jul. 31, 2014	Sep. 02, 2014
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jul. 31, 2014
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	MIND
Entity Registrant Name	MITCHAM INDUSTRIES INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000926423
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--01-31
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		12,767,756