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Another look at full-wave seismic imaging
- Source: First Break, Volume 25, Issue 6, Jun 2007,
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- 01 Jun 2007
Abstract
Jason Criss of Input/Output explains the rationale of full-wave seismic imaging and provides some examples from recent surveys to illustrate the benefits of this rapidly evolving technology. In its purest form, the concept of full-wave (multicomponent) seismic imaging has been with our industry for several decades. It is only within the last few years that seismic recording equipment and processing methods have advanced enough to make the concept viable. The introduction of high channel-count systems in the late 1990s enabled certain aspects of full-wave imaging; when high channel counts were combined with three component (3C) digital sensors, the first fully compliant full-wave surveys became a practical reality. The full-wave concept is actually very simple. The idea is to record the reflected seismic data with precision and in a manner that reflects true particle motion in the subsurface. In other words, we want the acquisition, the instruments, and the operational methods to be as transparent as possible while, at the same time, faithfully recording the entire seismic signal that the earth can provide. If this goal is achieved, then data processing, analysis, and interpretation will not be fundamentally limited by the data acquisition step itself. Recording instruments, therefore, are a vital aspect of fulfilling the promise of full-wave imaging and of obtaining higher quality, higher utility seismic data in virtually every region of the world.