A new approach to seismic interpretation, seismic skeletonization, is used to analyze crustal reflection data by identifying numbers of reflection events, their lengths, their energies, and their dips, with respect to azimuths of recorded profiles. Application of the method to crustal reflection data in the southern Canadian Cordillera demonstrates strong directional dependence of crustal reflectivity, with persistent trends at 025--040¿ (205--220¿), 085--095¿ (265--275¿), 115--125¿ (295--305¿), and 140--160¿ (320--340¿). These trends are visible in both the upper and lower crust and may be related to regional structural trends. Further applications of the technique, particularly in different tectonic regions, may allow categorization of seismic patterns and cataloguing of signatures for complex reflection data in a manner similar to seismic stratigraphy and structural patterns in stratified rocks.¿ 1997 American Geophysical Union