Incorporating geologic information into reflection tomography

In areas of complex geology, prestack depth migration is often necessary if we are to produce an accurate image of the subsurface. Prestack depth migration requires an accurate interval velocity model. With few exceptions, the subsurface velocities are not known beforehand and should be estimated. When the velocity structure is complex, with significant lateral variations, reflection‐tomography methods are often an effective tool for improving the velocity estimate. Unfortunately, reflection tomography often converges slowly, to a model that is geologically unreasonable, or it does not converge at all. The large null space of reflection‐tomography problems often forces us to add a sparse parameterization of the model and/or regularization criteria to the estimation. Standard tomography schemes tend to create isotropic features in velocity models that are inconsistent with geology. These isotropic features result, in large part, from using symmetric regularization operators or from choosing a poor model parameterization. If we replace the symmetric operators with nonstationary operators that tend to spread information along structural dips, the tomography will produce velocity models that are geologically more reasonable. In addition, by forming the operators in helical 1D space and performing polynomial division, we apply the inverse of these space‐varying anisotropic operators. The inverse operators can be used as a preconditioner to a standard tomography problem, thereby significantly improving the speed of convergence compared with the typical regularized inversion problem. Results from 2D synthetic and 2D field data are shown. In each case, the velocity obtained improves the focusing of the migrated image.

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IMAGING BENEATH COMPLEX STRUCTURE: A CASE HISTORY

The APPEA Journal ◽

10.1071/aj80014 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 112

Author(s):

K. Lamer ◽

B. Gibson ◽

R. Chambers

Keyword(s):

Velocity Structure ◽

Deep Structure ◽

Complex Structure ◽

Velocity Model ◽

Important Conclusion ◽

Depth Migration ◽

Interval Velocity ◽

Velocity Models ◽

Time Migration ◽

Zero Offset

Migration is recognised as the essential step in converting seismic, data into a representation of the earth's subsurface structure. Ironically, conventional migration often fails where migration is needed most—when the data are recorded over complex structures. Processing field data shot in Central America, and synthetic data derived for that section, demonstrates that time migration actually degrades the image of the deep structure that lies below a complicated overburden.In the Central American example, velocities increase nearly two-fold across an arched and thrust-faulted interface. Wavefront distortion introduced by this feature gives rise to distorted reflections from depth. Even with interval velocity known perfectly, no velocity is proper for time migrating the data here; time migration is the wrong process because it does not honour Snell's Law. Depth migration of the stacked data, on the other hand, produces a reasonable image of the deeper section. The depth migration, however, leaves artifacts that could be attributed to problems that are common in structurally complicated areas: (1) departures of the stacked section from the ideal, a zero-offset section; (2) incorrect specification of velocities; and (3) loss of energy transmitted through the complex zoneFor such an inhomogeneous velocity structure, shortcomings in CDP stacking are directly related to highly non- hyperbolic moveout. As with migration velocity, no proper stacking velocity can be developed for these data, even from the known interval-velocity model. Proper treatment of nonzero-offset reflection data could be accomplished by depth migration before stacking. Simple ray-theoretical correction of the complex moveouts, however, can produce a stack that is similar to the desired zero-offset section.Overall, the choice of velocity model most strongly influences the results of depth migration. Processing the data with a range of plausible velocity models, however, leads to an important conclusion: although the velocities can never be known exactly, depth migration is essential for clarifying structure beneath complex overburden.

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Kinematic interpretation in the prestack depth‐migrated domain

Geophysics ◽

10.1190/1.1444224 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 62 (4) ◽

pp. 1226-1237 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Irina Apostoiu‐Marin ◽

Andreas Ehinger

Keyword(s):

Signal To Noise Ratio ◽

Velocity Model ◽

Point Of View ◽

Prestack Depth Migration ◽

Depth Migration ◽

Velocity Models ◽

Time Domain Data ◽

And Migration ◽

Point To Point ◽

Homogeneous Media

Prestack depth migration can be used in the velocity model estimation process if one succeeds in interpreting depth events obtained with erroneous velocity models. The interpretational difficulty arises from the fact that migration with erroneous velocity does not yield the geologically correct reflector geometries and that individual migrated images suffer from poor signal‐to‐noise ratio. Moreover, migrated events may be of considerable complexity and thus hard to identify. In this paper, we examine the influence of wrong velocity models on the output of prestack depth migration in the case of straight reflector and point diffractor data in homogeneous media. To avoid obscuring migration results by artifacts (“smiles”), we use a geometrical technique for modeling and migration yielding a point‐to‐point map from time‐domain data to depth‐domain data. We discover that strong deformation of migrated events may occur even in situations of simple structures and small velocity errors. From a kinematical point of view, we compare the results of common‐shot and common‐offset migration. and we find that common‐offset migration with erroneous velocity models yields less severe image distortion than common‐shot migration. However, for any kind of migration, it is important to use the entire cube of migrated data to consistently interpret in the prestack depth‐migrated domain.

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Manual seismic reflection tomography

Geophysics ◽

10.1190/1.1444658 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 64 (5) ◽

pp. 1546-1552 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Gary E. Murphy ◽

Samuel H. Gray

Keyword(s):

Current Velocity ◽

Velocity Model ◽

Prestack Depth Migration ◽

Velocity Change ◽

Depth Migration ◽

Migration Velocity Analysis ◽

Automatic Methods ◽

Fact Finding ◽

Reflection Tomography ◽

User Intervention

Prestack depth migration needs a good velocity model to produce a good image; in fact, finding the velocity model is one of the goals of prestack depth migration. Migration velocity analysis uses information produced by the migration to update the current velocity model for use in the next migration iteration. Several techniques are currently used to estimate migration velocities, ranging from trial and error to automatic methods like reflection tomography. Here, we present a method that combines aspects of some of the more accurate methods into an interactive procedure for viewing the effects of residual normal moveout corrections on migrated common reflection point (CRP) gathers. The residual corrections are performed by computing traveltimes along raypaths through both the current velocity model and the velocity model plus suggested model perturbations. The differences between those sets of traveltimes are related to differences in depth, allowing the user to preview the approximate effects of a velocity change on the CRP gathers without remigrating the data. As with automatic tomography, the computed depth differences are essentially backprojected along raypaths through the model, yielding a velocity update that flattens the gathers. Unlike automatic tomography, in which an algebraic inverse problem is solved by the computer for all geologic layers simultaneously, our method estimates shallow velocities before proceeding deeper and requires substantial user intervention, both in flattening individual CRP gathers and in deciding the appropriateness of the suggested velocity updates in individual geologic units.

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Unified imaging of multichannel seismic data: Combining traveltime inversion and prestack depth migration

Geophysics ◽

10.1190/1.2957761 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 73 (5) ◽

pp. VE269-VE280 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Priyank Jaiswal ◽

Colin A. Zelt

Keyword(s):

Seismic Data ◽

Joint Inversion ◽

Velocity Model ◽

Depth Image ◽

Prestack Depth Migration ◽

Traveltime Inversion ◽

Depth Migration ◽

Interval Velocity ◽

Wide Aperture ◽

Zero Offset

Imaging 2D multichannel land seismic data can be accomplished effectively by a combination of traveltime inversion and prestack depth migration (PSDM), referred to as unified imaging. Unified imaging begins by inverting the direct-arrival times to estimate a velocity model that is used in static corrections and stacking velocity analysis. The interval velocity model (from stacking velocities) is used for PSDM. The stacked data and the PSDM image are interpreted for common horizons, and the corresponding wide-aperture reflections are identified in the shot gathers. Using the interval velocity model, the stack interpretations are inverted as zero-offset reflections to constrain the corresponding interfaces in depth; the interval velocity model remains stationary. We define a coefficient of congruence [Formula: see text] that measures the discrepancy between horizons from the PSDM image andtheir counterparts from the zero-offset inversion. A value of unity for [Formula: see text] implies that the interpreted and inverted horizons are consistent to within the interpretational uncertainties, and the unified imaging is said to have converged. For [Formula: see text] greater than unity, the interval velocity model and the horizon depths are updated by jointly inverting the direct arrivals with the zero-offset and wide-aperture reflections. The updated interval velocity model is used again for both PSDM and a zero-offset inversion. Interpretations of the new PSDM image are the updated horizon depths. The unified imaging is applied to seismic data from the Naga Thrust and Fold Belt in India. Wide-aperture and zero-offset data from three geologically significant horizons are used. Three runs of joint inversion and PSDM are required in a cyclic manner for [Formula: see text] to converge to unity. A joint interpretation of the final velocity model and depth image reveals the presence of a triangle zone that could be promising for exploration.

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Seismic velocity model building in an area of complex geology, southern Alberta, Canada

Geophysics ◽

10.1190/1.2949254 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 73 (5) ◽

pp. VE255-VE260 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J. Helen Isaac ◽

Don C. Lawton

Keyword(s):

Cross Sections ◽

Model Building ◽

Seismic Velocity ◽

Velocity Model ◽

Prestack Depth Migration ◽

Depth Migration ◽

Velocity Models ◽

Effective Velocity ◽

Southern Alberta ◽

Complex Geology

We developed velocity models to prestack depth migrate two seismic lines acquired in an area of complex mountainous geology in southern Alberta, Canada. Initial processing in the time domain was designed to attenuate noise and enhance the signal in the data. The prestack and poststack time-migrated sections were poorly focused, implying the velocity models would be inadequate for prestack depth migration. The velocity models for prestack depth migration, developed by flattening reflections on common image gathers, ineffectively imaged the complex geology. We developed our most effective velocity models by integrating the mapped surface geology and dips, well formation tops, geological cross sections, and seismic-velocity information into the interpretation of polygonal areas of constant velocity on several iterations of prestack depth-migrated seismic sections. The resulting depth-processed sections show a more geologically realistic geometry for the reflectors at depth and achieve better focusing than either the time-migrated sections or the depth sections migrated with velocity models derived by flattening reflections on offset gathers.

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Reflection tomography by depth warping: A case study across the Java trench

10.5194/se-2021-40 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yueyang Xia ◽

Dirk Klaeschen ◽

Heidrun Kopp ◽

Michael Schnabel

Keyword(s):

Displacement Field ◽

Velocity Structure ◽

Time Lapse ◽

Velocity Model ◽

Data Driven ◽

Image Point ◽

Seismic Line ◽

Velocity Models ◽

The Common ◽

Reflection Tomography

Abstract. Accurate subsurface velocity models are crucial for geological interpretations based on seismic depth images. Seismic reflection tomography is an effective iterative method to update and refine a preliminary velocity model for depth imaging. Based on residual move-out analysis of reflectors in common image point gathers an update of the velocity is estimated by a ray-based tomography. To stabilize the tomography, several preconditioning strategies exist. Most critical is the estimation of the depth error to account for the residual move-out of the reflector in the common image point gathers. Because the depth errors for many closely spaced image gathers must be picked, manual picking is extremely time-consuming, human biased, and not reproducible. Data-driven picking algorithms based on coherence or semblance analysis are widely used for hyperbolic or linear events. However, for complex-shaped depth events, pure data-driven picking is difficult. To overcome this, the warping method named Non-Rigid Matching is used to estimate a depth error displacement field. Warping is used, e.g., to merge photographic images or to match two seismic images from time-lapse data. By calculating the displacements between an offset to its neighbouring offset in the common image point domain, a locally smooth-shaped displacement field is defined for each data sample. Depending on the complexity of the subsurface, sample tracking through the displacement field along predefined horizons or on a simple regular grid yields discrete depth error values for the tomography. The application to a multi-channel seismic line across the Sunda subduction zone offshore Lombok island, Indonesia, illustrates the approach and documents the advantages of the method to estimate a detailed velocity structure in a complex tectonic regime. By incorporating the warping scheme into the reflection tomography, we demonstrate an increase in the velocity resolution and precision by improving the data-driven accuracy of depth error picks with arbitrary shapes. This approach offers the possibility to use the full capacities of tomography and further leads to more accurate interpretations of complex geological structures.

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Efficient velocity model building for prestack depth migration

The Leading Edge ◽

10.1190/1.1437361 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 15 (6) ◽

pp. 751-753 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Y. C. Kim ◽

C. M. Samuelsen ◽

T. A. Hauge

Keyword(s):

Model Building ◽

Velocity Model ◽

Prestack Depth Migration ◽

Depth Migration ◽

Velocity Model Building

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Integrated prestack depth migration of vertical seismic profile and surface seismic data from the Rocky Mountain Foothills of southern Alberta, Canada

Geophysics ◽

10.1190/1.1635031 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 68 (6) ◽

pp. 1782-1791 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M. Graziella Kirtland Grech ◽

Don C. Lawton ◽

Scott Cheadle

Keyword(s):

Seismic Data ◽

Rocky Mountain ◽

Velocity Model ◽

Seismic Profile ◽

Vertical Seismic Profile ◽

Prestack Depth Migration ◽

Data Set ◽

Depth Migration ◽

Southern Alberta ◽

Vsp Data

We have developed an anisotropic prestack depth migration code that can migrate either vertical seismic profile (VSP) or surface seismic data. We use this migration code in a new method for integrated VSP and surface seismic depth imaging. Instead of splicing the VSP image into the section derived from surface seismic data, we use the same migration algorithm and a single velocity model to migrate both data sets to a common output grid. We then scale and sum the two images to yield one integrated depth‐migrated section. After testing this method on synthetic surface seismic and VSP data, we applied it to field data from a 2D surface seismic line and a multioffset VSP from the Rocky Mountain Foothills of southern Alberta, Canada. Our results show that the resulting integrated image exhibits significant improvement over that obtained from (a) the migration of either data set alone or (b) the conventional splicing approach. The integrated image uses the broader frequency bandwidth of the VSP data to provide higher vertical resolution than the migration of the surface seismic data. The integrated image also shows enhanced structural detail, since no part of the surface seismic section is eliminated, and good event continuity through the use of a single migration–velocity model, obtained by an integrated interpretation of borehole and surface seismic data. This enhanced migrated image enabled us to perform a more robust interpretation with good well ties.

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