Joint PP and PS plane-wave wave-equation migration-velocity analysis

Geophysics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. R507-R525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zongcai Feng ◽  
Bowen Guo ◽  
Lianjie Huang

Conventional joint PP and PS velocity analysis is based on ray tomography. We develop a joint PP and PS wave-equation migration-velocity-analysis method using plane-wave common-image gathers (CIGs) to produce accurate P- and S-wave velocity models. The objective function of our new method consists of three terms: The first and second terms penalize the moveout residuals computed from PP and PS plane-wave CIGs, respectively, and the third term constrains the nonzero relative depth shifts between the PP and PS migration images. The moveout of plane-wave CIGs is automatically picked using a semblance analysis method, and the relative depth shifts between the PP and PS images are automatically computed using dynamic warping or manually picking the depths of certain primary reflectors. The moveout residuals and the relative depth shifts are transformed into weighted image perturbations, and they are then projected into the velocity models to update the P- and S-wave velocity models using the scalar-wave equations and their linearized forms. Numerical tests with synthetic and multicomponent field data demonstrate that our method can simultaneously invert for accurate P- and S-wave velocity models for elastic migration.

Geophysics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. R341-R353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenlong Wang ◽  
Jiubing Cheng ◽  
Wiktor Waldemar Weibull ◽  
Børge Arntsen

Multicomponent seismic data acquisition can reveal more information about geologic structures and rock properties than single component acquisition. Full elastic wave seismic imaging, which uses multicomponent seismic to its full potential, is promising because it provides more opportunities to understand the material properties of the earth by the joint use of P- and S-waves. A prerequisite of seismic imaging is the availability of a reliable macrovelocity model. Migration velocity analysis for P-waves, which can fill that requirement for the P-wave velocity, has been well-studied, especially under the acoustic approximation. However, a reliable estimation of the S-wave velocities remains troublesome. Elastic wave-equation migration velocity analysis has the potential to build P- and S-wave velocity models together, but it inevitably suffers from the effects of mode coupling and conversion in the forward and adjoint wavefield reconstructions. We have developed a differential semblance optimization approach to sequentially invert the background P- and S-wave velocity models from extended PP- and PS-images in the subsurface offset domain. Preconditioning of the gradients with respect to the S-wave velocity through mode decoupling can improve the reliability of the optimization. Numerical investigations with synthetic examples demonstrate the effectiveness of gradient preconditioning and the feasibility of our migration velocity analysis approach for elastic wave imaging.


Geophysics ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. S327-S340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bowen Guo ◽  
Gerard T. Schuster

Wave-equation migration velocity analysis (WEMVA) based on subsurface-offset, angle domain, or time-lag common-image gathers (CIGs) requires significant computational and memory resources because it computes higher dimensional migration images in the extended image domain. To mitigate this problem, we have developed a WEMVA method using plane-wave CIGs. Plane-wave CIGs reduce computational cost and memory storage because they are directly calculated from prestack plane-wave migration and the number of plane waves is often much smaller than the number of shots. In the case of an inaccurate migration velocity, the moveout of plane-wave CIGs is automatically picked by a semblance analysis method, which is then linked to the migration velocity update by a connective function. Numerical tests on two synthetic data sets and a field data set validate the efficiency and effectiveness of this method.


Geophysics ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 1258-1269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junru Jiao ◽  
Paul L. Stoffa ◽  
Mrinal K. Sen ◽  
Roustam K. Seifoullaev

Over the last few years, migration‐velocity analysis methods have been developed for 2‐D and 3‐D models by extending the assumptions and approximations used for rms velocity models. Computational requirements for these analyses have increased dramatically because top‐down layer‐stripping migration is needed to derive interval velocities directly instead of using rms velocities and then converting into interval velocities. We establish exact equations for 1‐D and 2‐D residual velocity analysis in the depth‐plane‐wave domain and use these in an iterative and interactive migration velocity analysis program. The new method updates interval velocities directly in a top‐down residual‐difference correction for all layers after prestack depth migration instead of top‐down layer‐stripping migration followed by residual analysis. This makes the new method a suitable tool for migration velocity analysis, especially for 3‐D surveys. We test the method on synthetic and field data. The field data results show that a reasonable velocity model is obtained and most common image gathers are correctly imaged using no more than four iterations.


Geophysics ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. VE145-VE159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Sava ◽  
Ioan Vlad

Wave-equation migration velocity analysis (MVA) is a technique similar to wave-equation tomography because it is designed to update velocity models using information derived from full seismic wavefields. On the other hand, wave-equation MVA is similar to conventional, traveltime-based MVA because it derives the information used for model updates from properties of migrated images, e.g., focusing and moveout. The main motivation for using wave-equation MVA is derived from its consistency with the corresponding wave-equation migration, which makes this technique robust and capable of handling multipathing characterizing media with large and sharp velocity contrasts. The wave-equation MVA operators are constructed using linearizations of conventional wavefield extrapolation operators, assuming small perturbations relative to the background velocity model. Similar to typical wavefield extrapolation operators, the wave-equation MVA operators can be implemented in the mixed space-wavenumber domain using approximations of differentorders of accuracy. As for wave-equation migration, wave-equation MVA can be formulated in different imaging frameworks, depending on the type of data used and image optimization criteria. Examples of imaging frameworks correspond to zero-offset migration (designed for imaging based on focusing properties of the image), survey-sinking migration (designed for imaging based on moveout analysis using narrow-azimuth data), and shot-record migration (also designed for imaging based on moveout analysis, but using wide-azimuth data). The wave-equation MVA operators formulated for the various imaging frameworks are similar because they share elements derived from linearizations of the single square-root equation. Such operators represent the core of iterative velocity estimation based on diffraction focusing or semblance analysis, and their applicability in practice requires efficient and accurate implementation. This tutorial concentrates strictly on the numeric implementation of those operators and not on their use for iterative migration velocity analysis.


Geophysics ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. U73-U85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saleh M. Al-Saleh ◽  
Jianwu Jiao

We introduce an integrated wave-equation technique for migration velocity analysis (MVA) that consists of three steps: (1) forming the extended data, (2) approximating the correct transmitted wavefield, and (3) using wavefield tomography to update the velocity model. In the first step, the crosscorrelation imaging condition is relaxed to produce other nonzero-lag common image gathers (CIG) that, combined, form a common image cube (CIC). Slicing the CIC at different crosscorrelation lags forms a series of CIGs. Flattened events will occur in the CIGs at a lag other than the zero-lag when an incorrect velocity model is used in the migration. In the second step, for each event on the CIG, we pick the focusing depth and crosscorrelation lag at which it is flattest. We then model a Green’s function by seeding a source at the focusing depth using one-way wave equation modeling, then shift the modeled wavefield with the focusing crosscorrelation lag. This process is repeated for the other primary events at different lateral and vertical positions. The result is a set of modeled data whose wavefield approximates the wavefield that would have been generated if the correct velocity model had been used to simulate these gathers. We then apply wavefield tomography on these data-driven modeled data to update the velocity model. Our inversion scheme is based on wave-equation traveltime tomography that can update the velocity model in the presence of large velocity errors and a complex environment. Tests on synthetic and real 2D seismic data confirm the method’s effectiveness in building velocity models in complex structural areas that have large lateral velocity variations.


Geophysics ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 1202-1212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hervé Chauris ◽  
Mark S. Noble ◽  
Gilles Lambaré ◽  
Pascal Podvin

We present a new method based on migration velocity analysis (MVA) to estimate 2‐D velocity models from seismic reflection data with no assumption on reflector geometry or the background velocity field. Classical approaches using picking on common image gathers (CIGs) must consider continuous events over the whole panel. This interpretive step may be difficult—particularly for applications on real data sets. We propose to overcome the limiting factor by considering locally coherent events. A locally coherent event can be defined whenever the imaged reflectivity locally shows lateral coherency at some location in the image cube. In the prestack depth‐migrated volume obtained for an a priori velocity model, locally coherent events are picked automatically, without interpretation, and are characterized by their positions and slopes (tangent to the event). Even a single locally coherent event has information on the unknown velocity model, carried by the value of the slope measured in the CIG. The velocity is estimated by minimizing these slopes. We first introduce the cost function and explain its physical meaning. The theoretical developments lead to two equivalent expressions of the cost function: one formulated in the depth‐migrated domain on locally coherent events in CIGs and the other in the time domain. We thus establish direct links between different methods devoted to velocity estimation: migration velocity analysis using locally coherent events and slope tomography. We finally explain how to compute the gradient of the cost function using paraxial ray tracing to update the velocity model. Our method provides smooth, inverted velocity models consistent with Kirchhoff‐type migration schemes and requires neither the introduction of interfaces nor the interpretation of continuous events. As for most automatic velocity analysis methods, careful preprocessing must be applied to remove coherent noise such as multiples.


Geophysics ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-50
Author(s):  
German Garabito ◽  
José Silas dos Santos Silva ◽  
Williams Lima

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.


Geophysics ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-60
Author(s):  
Chuang Li ◽  
Zhaoqi Gao ◽  
Jinghuai Gao ◽  
Feipeng Li ◽  
Tao Yang

Angle-domain common-image gathers (ADCIGs) that can be used for migration velocity analysis and amplitude versus angle analysis are important for seismic exploration. However, because of limited acquisition geometry and seismic frequency band, the ADCIGs extracted by reverse time migration (RTM) suffer from illumination gaps, migration artifacts, and low resolution. We have developed a reflection angle-domain pseudo-extended plane-wave least-squares RTM method for obtaining high-quality ADCIGs. We build the mapping relations between the ADCIGs and the plane-wave sections using an angle-domain pseudo-extended Born modeling operator and an adjoint operator, based on which we formulate the extraction of ADCIGs as an inverse problem. The inverse problem is iteratively solved by a preconditioned stochastic conjugate gradient method, allowing for reduction in computational cost by migrating only a subset instead of the whole dataset and improving image quality thanks to preconditioners. Numerical tests on synthetic and field data verify that the proposed method can compensate for illumination gaps, suppress migration artifacts, and improve resolution of the ADCIGs and the stacked images. Therefore, compared with RTM, the proposed method provides a more reliable input for migration velocity analysis and amplitude versus angle analysis. Moreover, it also provides much better stacked images for seismic interpretation.


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