Application of 3D Reverse Time Migration

Following completion of model building, amplitude preserving 3D depth migration is usually performed using a Kirchhoff scheme for modest structural problems with steep dips. For structures where multi-valued ray-paths exist (e.g. complex salt bodies), we generally use a oneway Wavefield Extrapolation (WE) algorithm instead. However, more recently, full two-way solutions of the wave equation, such as Reverse Time Migration (RTM) have become commercially available:- these are suited for highly complex environments, where both steep dips and multi-pathing are an issue. Standard shot-based one-way WE preSDM techniques image the subsurface by extrapolating the source and receiver wave-fields for each shot. The imaging condition is invoked by cross correlating these two wave-fields at each depth level, and then summing the contributions from all shots in the aperture to form the image. One of the assumptions made in using this technique is that the wave-fields travel along the direction of extrapolation only<br>in one direction: downwards for the source wave-field, and upwards for the receiver or scattered wave-field. In practice, each of these wave-fields will generally travel both up and down when the velocity model is complex, when turning (diving) raypaths are involved, or when multiples are being generated. In addition, approximations in the extrapolation techniques usually limit the dips present in the final image to less than seventy degrees. Steeper dips, and turning rays are usually imaged using Kirchhoff techniques, but these fail to deliver acceptable images once we have a multi-pathing problem. One technique which can address all these issues is migration using the two-way wave equation. Here we have used an RTM algorithm to achieve this. RTM properly propagatesthe wave-field through velocity structures of arbitrary complexity, correctly imaging dips greater than 90 degrees. It even has the potential to image with internal multiples when the boundaries responsible for the multiple are present in the model. We will show examples of RTM from the North Sea andthe Gulf of Mexico to demonstrate the the potential benefit of migrating with the full acoustic two-way wave equation