Diffraction tomography and multisource holography applied to seismic imaging

Geophysics ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ru‐Shan Wu ◽  
M. Nafi Toksöz
Keyword(s):  
Sampling Interval ◽  
Imaging Method ◽  
Diffraction Tomography ◽  
Reconstruction Process ◽  
Numerical Examples ◽  
Surface Reflection ◽  
Reflection Data ◽  
Rytov Approximation ◽  
Long Tails ◽  
Vsp Data

Seismic tomography is emerging as an imaging method for determining subsurface structure. When the view‐angle coverage is limited and the scale of the medium inhomogeneities is comparable with the wavelength, as is often true in geophysical applications, the performance of ordinary ray tomography becomes poor. Other tomographic methods are needed to improve the imaging process. Here we study diffraction tomography and multisource holography and evaluate their performances for surface reflection profiling (SRP), vertical seismic profiling (VSP), and cross‐hole measurements. Theoretical formulations are derived for two‐dimensional geometry in terms of line sources along a source line and line receivers along a receiver line. The theory for diffraction tomography is based on the Born or Rytov approximation. The performances of diffraction tomography and multisource holography are evaluated by examining the information coverage in the spatial frequency domain and by numerical examples. Multisource holography, which is similar to Kirchhoff‐type migration, often gives distorted images of the object. This distortion causes long tails of the image in the case of SRP and a strong noise belt in the case of VSP and is due to incomplete and nonuniform coverage of the object spectrum. The filtering operation of diffraction tomography helps in correcting the nonuniform coverage (including duplication) of the object spectrum in the reconstruction process and therefore reduces the distortions. On the other hand, multisource holography is better suited for imaging sharp boundaries with large acoustic impedance contrasts since diffraction tomography is restricted, as presently formulated, to weak inhomogeneities. In addition, multisource holography has the flexibility to be used with an arbitrary number of sources (including a single source). Its sampling interval is not restricted by the Nyquist frequency. Numerical examples show that combined data sets (such as surface reflection data combined with VSP data, or cross‐hole data combined with surface data, etc.) improve the image quality.

Transmission‐reflection tomography: Application to reverse VSP data

Geophysics ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 884-894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weijian Mao ◽  
Graham W. Stuart
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Profile ◽  
Transmission Tomography ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Lower Velocity ◽  
Surface Reflection ◽  
Reflection Data ◽  
Vsp Data ◽  
Reflection Tomography ◽  
Transmission And Reflection

A multiphase tomographic algorithm is presented that allows 2-D and 3-D slowness (inverse of velocity) and variable reflector depth to be reconstructed simultaneously from both transmission and reflection traveltimes. We analyze the ambiguity in the determination of velocity and depth in transmission and reflection data and realize that depth perturbation is more sensitive to reflection traveltime anomalies than slowness perturbation, whereas the reverse is true of transmission traveltime anomalies. Because of the constraints on velocity and depth provided by the different wave types, this algorithm reduces the ambiguity substantially between velocity and depth prevalent in reflection tomography and also avoids the undetermined problem in transmission tomography. The linearized inversion was undertaken iteratively by decoupling velocity parameters from reflector depths. A rapid 2-D and 3-D ray‐tracing algorithm is used to compute transmission and reflection traveltimes and partial derivatives with respect to slowness and reflector depth. Both depth and velocity are parameterized in terms of cubic B‐spline functions. Synthetic examples indicate the improvement in tomographic results when both transmission and reflection times are included. The method has been applied to a reverse vertical seismic profile (VSP) data set recorded on the British coal measures along a crossed‐linear array. Traveltimes were picked automatically by the simultaneous determination of time delays and stacking weights using a waveform matching technique. The tomographic inversion of the observed reverse VSP images two fault‐zones of lower velocity than the surrounding media. The location of the faults was confirmed by near‐by reflection lines. The technique can be applied to offset VSPs or reverse VSPs and coincident VSP and surface reflection data.

scholarly journals Ultrasonic laboratory tests of geophysical tomographic reconstruction

Geophysics ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 53 (7) ◽  
pp. 947-956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tien‐when Lo ◽  
M. Nafi Toksöz ◽  
Shao‐hui Xu ◽  
Ru‐Shan Wu
Keyword(s):  
Born Approximation ◽  
Laboratory Tests ◽  
Tomographic Reconstruction ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Diffraction Tomography ◽  
Frequency Range ◽  
Scaled Model ◽  
Surface Reflection ◽  
Rytov Approximation ◽  
Reflection Tomography

In this study, we test geophysical ray tomography and geophysical diffraction tomography by scaled model ultrasonics experiments. First, we compare the performance of these two methods under limited view‐angle conditions. Second, we compare the adaptabilities of these two methods to objects of various sizes and acoustic properties. Finally, for diffraction tomography, we compare the Born and Rytov approximations based on the induced image distortion by using these two approximation methods. Our experimental results indicate the following: (1) When the scattered field can be obtained, geophysical diffraction tomography is in general superior to ray tomography because diffraction tomography is less sensitive to the limited view‐angle problem and can image small objects of size comparable to a wavelength. (2) The advantage of using ray tomography is that reconstruction can be done using the first arrivals only, the most easily measurable quantity; and there is no restriction on the properties of the object being imaged. (3) For geophysical diffraction tomography, the Rytov approximation is valid over a wider frequency range than the Born approximation in the cross‐borehole experiment. In the VSP and the surface reflection tomography experiments, no substantial difference between the Born and Rytov approximations is observed.

scholarly journals ESTIMATION OF OBJECT SURFACE REFLECTION PROPERTIES BASED ON MEASURING OF SPECTRAL REFLECTION DATA

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 943-950
Author(s):  
Norihiro TANAKA ◽  
Jae-Yong WOO ◽  
Tomohiro SARASHINA ◽  
Kosuke MOCHIZUKI
Keyword(s):  
Object Surface ◽  
Surface Reflection ◽  
Spectral Reflection ◽  
Reflection Data

Imaging reflection-blind areas using transmitted PS-waves

Geophysics ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. S241-S250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Luo ◽  
Qinglin Liu ◽  
Yuchun E. Wang ◽  
Mohammed N. AlFaraj
Keyword(s):  
Mode Conversion ◽  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
Reverse Time ◽  
Reverse Time Migration ◽  
Reflected Waves ◽  
Prestack Migration ◽  
Reflection Data ◽  
Time Migration ◽  
Transmitted Waves ◽  
Vsp Data

We illustrate the use of mode-converted transmitted (e.g., PS- or SP-) waves in vertical seismic profiling (VSP) data for imaging areas above receivers where reflected waves cannot illuminate. Three depth-domain imaging techniques — move-out correction, common-depth-point (CDP) mapping, and prestack migration — are described and used for imag-ing the transmitted waves. Moveout correction converts an offset VSP trace into a zero-offset trace. CDP mapping maps each sample on an input trace to the location where the mode conversion occurs. For complex media, prestack migration (e.g., reverse-time migration) is used. By using both synthetic and field VSP data, we demonstrate that images derived from transmissions complement those from reflections. As an important application, we show that transmitted waves can illuminate zones above highly de-viated or horizontal wells, a region not imaged by reflection data. Because all of these benefits are obtained without extra data acquisition cost, we believe transmission imag-ing techniques will become widely adopted by the oil in-dustry.

A multioffset, three‐component VSP study in the Sudbury Basin

Geophysics ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 341-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao‐Gui Miao ◽  
Wooil M. Moon ◽  
B. Milkereit
Keyword(s):  
Data Processing ◽  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Seismic Reflection Data ◽  
S Waves ◽  
Velocity Models ◽  
Reflection Data ◽  
Wavefield Separation ◽  
Vsp Data

A multioffset, three‐component vertical seismic profiling (VSP) experiment was carried out in the Sudbury Basin, Ontario, as a part of the LITHOPROBE Sudbury Transect. The main objectives were determination of the shallow velocity structure in the middle of the Sudbury Basin, development of an effective VSP data processing flow, correlation of the VSP survey results with the surface seismic reflection data, and demonstration of the usefulness of the VSP method in a crystalline rock environment. The VSP data processing steps included rotation of the horizontal component data, traveltime inversion for velocity analysis, Radon transform for wavefield separation, and preliminary analysis of shear‐wave data. After wavefield separation, the flattened upgoing wavefields for both P‐waves and S‐waves display consistent reflection events from three depth levels. The VSP-CDP transformed section and corridor stacked section correlate well with the high‐resolution surface reflection data. In addition to obtaining realistic velocity models for both P‐ and S‐waves through least‐square inversion and synthetic seismic modeling for the Chelmsford area, the VSP experiment provided an independent estimation for the reflector dip using three component hodogram analysis, which indicates that the dip of the contact between the Chelmsford and Onwatin formations, at an approximate depth of 380 m in the Chelmsford borehole, is approximately 10.5° southeast. This study demonstrates that multioffset, three‐component VSP experiments can provide important constraints and auxiliary information for shallow crustal seismic studies in crystalline terrain. Thus, the VSP technique bridges the gap between the surface seismic‐reflection technique and well‐log surveys.

Diffraction imaging of ground-penetrating radar data

Geophysics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. H1-H12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hemin Yuan ◽  
Mahboubeh Montazeri ◽  
Majken C. Looms ◽  
Lars Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Velocity Estimation ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Imaging Method ◽  
Surface Reflection ◽  
Diffraction Imaging ◽  
Saturated Media ◽  
Ground Penetrating

Diffractions caused by, e.g., faults, fractures, and small-scale heterogeneity localized near the surface are often used in ground-penetrating radar (GPR) reflection studies to constrain the subsurface velocity distribution using simple hyperbola fitting. Interference with reflected energy makes the identification of diffractions difficult. We have tailored and applied a diffraction imaging method to improve imaging for surface reflection GPR data. Based on a plane-wave destruction algorithm, the method can separate reflections from diffractions. Thereby, a better identification of diffractions facilitates an improved determination of GPR wave velocities and an optimized migration result. We determined the potential of this approach using synthetic and field data, and, for the field study, we also compare the estimated velocity structure with crosshole GPR results. For the field data example, we find that the velocity structure estimated using the diffraction-based process correlates well with results from crosshole GPR velocity estimation. Such improved velocity estimation may have important implications for using surface reflection GPR to map, e.g., porosity for fully saturated media or soil moisture changes in partially saturated media because these physical properties depend on the dielectric permittivity and thereby also the GPR wave velocity.

scholarly journals Muting the noise cone in near‐surface reflection data: An example from southeastern Kansas

Geophysics ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1332-1338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory S. Baker ◽  
Don W. Steeples ◽  
Matt Drake
Keyword(s):  
Data Processing ◽  
Seismic Data ◽  
Hydrocarbon Exploration ◽  
Seismic Reflection Profile ◽  
Seismic Data Processing ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Surface Reflection ◽  
Reflection Data ◽  
Data Volume ◽  
Total Data

A 300-m near‐surface seismic reflection profile was collected in southeastern Kansas to locate a fault(s) associated with a recognized stratigraphic offset on either side of a region of unexposed bedrock. A substantial increase in the S/N ratio of the final stacked section was achieved by muting all data arriving in time after the airwave. Methods of applying traditional seismic data processing techniques to near‐surface data (200 ms of data or less) often differ notably from hydrocarbon exploration‐scale processing (3–4 s of data or more). The example of noise cone muting used is contrary to normal exploration‐scale seismic data processing philosophy, which is to include all data containing signal. The noise cone mute applied to the data removed more than one‐third of the total data volume, some of which contains signal. In this case, however, the severe muting resulted in a higher S/N ratio in the final stacked section, even though some signal could be identified within the muted data. This example supports the suggestion that nontraditional techniques sometimes need to be considered when processing near‐surface seismic data.

Wide-area imaging from OBS multiples

Geophysics ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. Q41-Q47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ranjan Dash ◽  
George Spence ◽  
Roy Hyndman ◽  
Sergio Grion ◽  
Yi Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Channel ◽  
Water Layer ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
Imaging Method ◽  
Ocean Bottom ◽  
Ocean Bottom Seismometer ◽  
Conventional Imaging ◽  
Depth Migration ◽  
Reflection Data ◽  
Obs Data

The subseafloor structure offshore western Canada was imaged using first-order water-layer multiples from ocean-bottom seismometer (OBS) data and the results were compared to conventional imaging using primary reflections. This multiple-migration (mirror-imaging) method uses the downgoing pressure wavefield just above the seafloor, which is devoid of any primary reflections but consists of receiver-side ghosts of these primary reflections. The mirror-imaging method employs a primaries-only Kirchhoff prestack depth migration algorithm to image the receiver ghosts. The additional travel path of the multiples through the water layer is accounted for by a simple manipulation of the velocity model and processing datum: the receivers lie not on the seabed but on a sea surface twice as high as the true water column. Migration results show that the multiple-migrated image provides a much broader illumination of the subsurface than is possible for conventional imaging using the primaries, especially for the very shallow reflections and sparse OBS spacing. The resulting image from mirror imaging has illumination comparable to the vertical incidence surface streamer (single-channel) reflection data.

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