Comparison between interferometric migration and reduced-time migration of common-depth-point data

Geophysics ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. SI189-SI196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Zhou ◽  
Zhiyong Jiang ◽  
Jianhua Yu ◽  
Gerard T. Schuster
Keyword(s):  
Green's Functions ◽  
Arrival Time ◽  
Green’S Functions ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
Migration Velocity ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Model Based ◽  
Common Depth Point ◽  
Time Migration ◽  
Reduced Time

One of the difficulties in seeing beneath salt is that the migration velocity in the salt and above it is not well known. This can lead to defocusing of migration images beneath the salt. In this paper, we show that reduced-time migration (RTM) and interferometric migration (IM) can partly mitigate this problem. RTM time-shifts the traces with the time difference between the calculated arrival time [Formula: see text] and the natural arrival time [Formula: see text] of a reference reflection, where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] denote the source and receiver locations on the surface, respectively. We use the terms natural and calculated to represent, respectively, the arrival times that are velocity-independent (traveltimes directly extracted from the data without knowledge of the velocity model) and velocity-dependent (traveltimes calculated by ray tracing through a given velocity model). The benefit of RTM is a significant reduction of defocusing errors caused by errors in the migration velocity. IM, on the other hand, requires extrapolation of the surface data below salt using the natural arrival times [Formula: see text] of the subsalt reference reflector, and migration of the extrapolated data below the salt. The benefit with IM is that no salt velocity model is needed, so the model-based defocusing errors are, in theory, eliminated. To reduce computational time, we implement IM with a seminatural Green’s function (combination of model-based calculated and picked natural traveltimes). Because no explicit data extrapolation is needed, IM with seminatural Green’s functions is more cost-efficient than the standard IM. In this paper, we tested both RTM and IM with seminatural Green’s functions on a synthetic and a field common-depth-point (CDP) data set, the latter from the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Results show that both RTM and IM can remove the significant kinematic distortions caused by the overburden without knowledge of the overburden velocity.

Reduced‐time migration of transmitted PS waves

Geophysics ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 1695-1707 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Sheley ◽  
Gerard T. Schuster
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Model ◽  
Migration Velocity ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Interferometric Method ◽  
Direct Wave ◽  
Time Migration ◽  
Transmitted Waves ◽  
Vsp Data ◽  
Reduced Time

We develop the novel theory of transmitted PS migration and show that PS transmitted arrivals in a Gulf of Mexico vertical seismic profile (VSP) data set can be migrated to accurately image a salt sheet even though the receiver array is below the transmitting boundary. We also show that migrating transmitted arrivals is effective in illuminating the base of an orebody invisible to PP reflections. In general, interfaces that bisect wavepath propagation (i.e., the source and receiver are on opposite sides of the interface and therefore invisible to PP reflections) can be imaged by migration of PS transmitted waves. These results suggest that migration of PS transmitted waves opens new opportunities in imaging nearly vertical impedance boundaries that are typically invisible to conventional reflection imaging of crosswell and VSP data. We also present a new interferometric method, denoted as reduced‐time migration, which uses the arrival‐time difference between the direct P‐wave and subsequent events to increase migration accuracy. Reduced‐time migration removes static time shifts in the data, decreases the focusing error due to an incorrect migration velocity model, and relocates reflection or PS transmission events to be closer to their true positions. Although limited to crosswell and VSP geometries, synthetic‐ and field‐data examples show that reduced‐time migration is noticeably more accurate than conventional migration in the presence of static shifts and/or migration velocity errors. The main assumption of reduced‐time migration is that the direct wave samples errors which are representative of errors in the migration aperture. Transmission wavepaths, in general, are subparallel to the direct wave and therefore the two modes encounter similar errors and, hence, reduced‐time migration is effective in improving the focusing of migration energy. For the PP reflection case, the direct wave and the reflected waves often traverse different parts of the earth, therefore, reduced‐time migration will remove static shifts but it is not expected to mitigate velocity errors if the errors are spatially variant. However, if there is a general and consistent bias in the velocity model, reduced‐time migration is expected to deliver improved results over conventional Kirchhoff migration.

scholarly journals Internal multiple prediction and removal using Marchenko autofocusing and seismic interferometry

Geophysics ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. A7-A11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Angelo Meles ◽  
Katrin Löer ◽  
Matteo Ravasi ◽  
Andrew Curtis ◽  
Carlos Alberto da Costa Filho
Keyword(s):  
Green's Functions ◽  
Green’S Functions ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
Seismic Interferometry ◽  
Reverse Time ◽  
Coherent Noise ◽  
Surface Reflection ◽  
Reflection Data ◽  
Time Migration ◽  
Internal Multiples

Standard seismic processing steps such as velocity analysis and reverse time migration (imaging) usually assume that all reflections are primaries: Multiples represent a source of coherent noise and must be suppressed to avoid imaging artifacts. Many suppression methods are relatively ineffective for internal multiples. We show how to predict and remove internal multiples using Marchenko autofocusing and seismic interferometry. We first show how internal multiples can theoretically be reconstructed in convolutional interferometry by combining purely reflected, up- and downgoing Green’s functions from virtual sources in the subsurface. We then generate the relevant up- and downgoing wavefields at virtual sources along discrete subsurface boundaries using autofocusing. Then, we convolve purely scattered components of up- and downgoing Green’s functions to reconstruct only the internal multiple field, which is adaptively subtracted from the measured data. Crucially, this is all possible without detailed modeled information about the earth’s subsurface. The method only requires surface reflection data and estimates of direct (nonreflected) arrivals between subsurface virtual sources and the acquisition surface. The method is demostrated on a stratified synclinal model and shown to be particularly robust against errors in the reference velocity model used.

Migration velocity analysis using the common image cube (CIC)

Geophysics ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 76 (5) ◽  
pp. WB127-WB134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saleh M. Al-Saleh ◽  
Jianwu Jiao ◽  
Adam J. Fox
Keyword(s):  
Green's Functions ◽  
Cross Correlation ◽  
Green’S Functions ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
Migration Velocity ◽  
Velocity Analysis ◽  
Image Domain ◽  
Migration Velocity Analysis ◽  
The Common ◽  
Image Cube

Migration velocity analysis (MVA) is commonly performed in the image domain in conjunction with ray-based tomography to update the velocity model. This approach can be challenging in the presence of large velocity errors as it may require many MVA iterations before converging to a model that can focus the events in the image domain. We introduced a downward continuation-based domain for carrying out MVA that is more flexible than conventional domains. This approach consists of two steps: (1) forming the common image cube (CIC) and (2) modeling the Green’s functions. In the first step, the cross-correlation imaging condition is relaxed to produce more than the zero lag common image gather (CIG). Slicing these data at different lags forms a series of CIGs, whereas a conventional CIG can be obtained by slicing the cube at the zero lag. When the velocity model used for the migration differs from the true velocity model, properly flattened events may occur in CIGs other than the zero lag. In the second step, for each event on the CIG, we picked the cross-correlation lag and depth at which it flattens best. For each event, we modeled a Green’s function by seeding a source at the focusing depth using one-way wave-equation modeling. This process is then repeated for other events at different lateral positions. The result is a set of Green’s functions whose wavefield approximates the ones that would have been generated if the correct velocity model was used to simulate these gathers. The updated Green functions are easier to work with than the raw data as they have less noise. Wavefield tomography can then be applied on these data-driven, modeled Green’s functions to build the final velocity model. Tests on synthetic and real 2D data confirm the method’s effectiveness in building velocity models in complex structural areas with large lateral velocity variations.

Migration velocity analysis based on focusing diffractions generated using the CRS wavefront attributes: Application to real land data

Geophysics ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-50
Author(s):  
German Garabito ◽  
José Silas dos Santos Silva ◽  
Williams Lima
Keyword(s):  
Time Domain ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Normal Incidence ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
Migration Velocity ◽  
Velocity Analysis ◽  
Velocity Models ◽  
Time Migration ◽  
Migration Velocity Analysis ◽  
The Time Domain

In land seismic data processing, the prestack time migration (PSTM) image remains the standard imaging output, but a reliable migrated image of the subsurface depends on the accuracy of the migration velocity model. We have adopted two new algorithms for time-domain migration velocity analysis based on wavefield attributes of the common-reflection-surface (CRS) stack method. These attributes, extracted from multicoverage data, were successfully applied to build the velocity model in the depth domain through tomographic inversion of the normal-incidence-point (NIP) wave. However, there is no practical and reliable method for determining an accurate and geologically consistent time-migration velocity model from these CRS attributes. We introduce an interactive method to determine the migration velocity model in the time domain based on the application of NIP wave attributes and the CRS stacking operator for diffractions, to generate synthetic diffractions on the reflection events of the zero-offset (ZO) CRS stacked section. In the ZO data with diffractions, the poststack time migration (post-STM) is applied with a set of constant velocities, and the migration velocities are then selected through a focusing analysis of the simulated diffractions. We also introduce an algorithm to automatically calculate the migration velocity model from the CRS attributes picked for the main reflection events in the ZO data. We determine the precision of our diffraction focusing velocity analysis and the automatic velocity calculation algorithms using two synthetic models. We also applied them to real 2D land data with low quality and low fold to estimate the time-domain migration velocity model. The velocity models obtained through our methods were validated by applying them in the Kirchhoff PSTM of real data, in which the velocity model from the diffraction focusing analysis provided significant improvements in the quality of the migrated image compared to the legacy image and to the migrated image obtained using the automatically calculated velocity model.

Time-migration velocity analysis by image-wave propagation of common-image gathers

Geophysics ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. VE161-VE171 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Schleicher ◽  
J. C. Costa ◽  
A. Novais
Keyword(s):  
Wave Propagation ◽  
Seismic Event ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
Migration Velocity ◽  
Velocity Analysis ◽  
Reference Velocity ◽  
Time Migration ◽  
Migration Velocity Analysis ◽  
Velocity Image ◽  
The Common

Image-wave propagation or velocity continuation describes the variation of the migrated position of a seismic event as a function of migration velocity. Image-wave propagation in the common-image gather (CIG) domain can be combined with residual-moveout analysis for iterative migration velocity analysis (MVA). Velocity continuation of CIGs leads to a detection of those velocities in which events flatten. Although image-wave continuation is based on the assumption of a constant migration velocity, the procedure can be applied in inhomogeneous media. For this purpose, CIGs obtained by migration with an inhomogeneous macrovelocity model are continued starting from a constant reference velocity. The interpretation of continued CIGs, as if they were obtained from residual migrations, leads to a correction formula that translates residual flattening velocities into absolute time-migration velocities. In this way, the migration velocity model can be improved iteratively until a satisfactory result is reached. With a numerical example, we found that MVA with iterative image continuation applied exclusively to selected CIGs can construct a reasonable migration velocity model from scratch, without the need to build an initial model from a previous conventional normal-moveout/dip-moveout velocity analysis.

Non‐Double‐Couple Moment Tensors of Earthquakes Calculated Using Empirical Green’s Functions

2019 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 390-398
Author(s):  
Václav Vavryčuk ◽  
Petra Adamová
Keyword(s):  
Green's Functions ◽  
Green’S Functions ◽  
Joint Inversion ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
Moment Tensors ◽  
Empirical Green’S Functions ◽  
Fracturing Process ◽  
Double Couple ◽  
Focal Zone ◽  
Empirical Green's Functions

Abstract We present a joint inversion for empirical Green’s functions (EGFs) and high‐resolution non‐double‐couple (non‐DC) moment tensors. First, the EGFs are constructed using known moment tensors of earthquakes occurring in a small focal zone. Second, the estimated EGFs are applied to refine the original moment tensors used for constructing the EGFs. Because the EGFs describe the velocity model better than the standard GFs, the refined moment tensors are more accurate. The method is applied to real observations of earthquakes of the 2008 swarm in West Bohemia, Czech Republic, where tiny details in fracturing in the focal zone are revealed. Refined moment tensors indicate fault closing caused by compaction of fault gouge during fracturing process related to fault weakening by fluids in the focal zone. The application of the proposed inversion can improve moment tensors reported in existing local, regional, or global catalogs for areas with a concentrated seismicity.

Joint microseismic event location and anisotropic velocity inversion with the cross double-difference method using downhole microseismic data

Geophysics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. KS63-KS73
Author(s):  
Yangyang Ma ◽  
Congcong Yuan ◽  
Jie Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Arrival Time ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Double Difference ◽  
S Wave ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Monitoring Well ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Microseismic Event ◽  
Wave Arrival

We have applied the cross double-difference (CDD) method to simultaneously determine the microseismic event locations and five Thomsen parameters in vertically layered transversely isotropic media using data from a single vertical monitoring well. Different from the double-difference (DD) method, the CDD method uses the cross-traveltime difference between the S-wave arrival time of one event and the P-wave arrival time of another event. The CDD method can improve the accuracy of the absolute locations and maintain the accuracy of the relative locations because it contains more absolute information than the DD method. We calculate the arrival times of the qP, qSV, and SH waves with a horizontal slowness shooting algorithm. The sensitivities of the arrival times with respect to the five Thomsen parameters are derived using the slowness components. The derivations are analytical, without any weak anisotropic approximation. The input data include the cross-differential traveltimes and absolute arrival times, providing better constraints on the anisotropic parameters and event locations. The synthetic example indicates that the method can produce better event locations and anisotropic velocity model. We apply this method to the field data set acquired from a single vertical monitoring well during a hydraulic fracturing process. We further validate the anisotropic velocity model and microseismic event locations by comparing the modeled and observed waveforms. The observed S-wave splitting also supports the inverted anisotropic results.

scholarly journals Shot-gather time migration of planar reflectors without velocity model

Geophysics ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. S93-S101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrej Bóna
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Data ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
Migration Velocity ◽  
Time Migration ◽  
Second Derivatives ◽  
Migration Method ◽  
Prestack Time Migration ◽  
Zero Offset ◽  
2D And 3D ◽  
Homogeneous Media

Standard migration techniques require a velocity model. A new and fast prestack time migration method is presented that does not require a velocity model as an input. The only input is a shot gather, unlike other velocity-independent migrations that also require input of data in other gathers. The output of the presented migration is a time-migrated image and the migration velocity model. The method uses the first and second derivatives of the traveltimes with respect to the location of the receiver. These attributes are estimated by computing the gradient of the amplitude in a shot gather. The assumptions of the approach are a laterally slowly changing velocity and reflectors with small curvatures; the dip of the reflector can be arbitrary. The migration velocity corresponds to the root mean square (rms) velocity for laterally homogeneous media for near offsets. The migration expressions for 2D and 3D cases are derived from a simple geometrical construction considering the image of the source. The strengths and weaknesses of the methods are demonstrated on synthetic data. At last, the applicability of the method is discussed by interpreting the migration velocity in terms of the Taylor expansion of the traveltime around the zero offset.

Least-squares reverse time migration in the presence of velocity errors

Geophysics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. S567-S580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jizhong Yang ◽  
Yunyue Elita Li ◽  
Arthur Cheng ◽  
Yuzhu Liu ◽  
Liangguo Dong
Keyword(s):  
Least Squares ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
Migration Velocity ◽  
Resolution Limit ◽  
Reverse Time ◽  
Reverse Time Migration ◽  
Time Migration ◽  
Large Velocity ◽  
Iterative Inversion ◽  
Inversion Procedure

Least-squares reverse time migration (LSRTM), which aims to match the modeled data with the observed data in an iterative inversion procedure, is very sensitive to the accuracy of the migration velocity model. If the migration velocity model contains errors, the final migration image may be defocused and incoherent. We have used an LSRTM scheme based on the subsurface offset extended imaging condition, least-squares extended reverse time migration (LSERTM), to provide a better solution when large velocity errors exist. By introducing an extra dimension in the image space, LSERTM can fit the observed data even when significant errors are present in the migration velocity model. We further investigate this property and find that after stacking the extended migration images along the subsurface offset axis within the theoretical lateral resolution limit, we can obtain an image with better coherency and fewer migration artifacts. Using multiple numerical examples, we demonstrate that our method provides superior inversion results compared to conventional LSRTM when the bulk velocity errors are as large as 10%.

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