A36 RICH AZIMUTH MARINE ACQUISITION 1 M.S. HOWARD 1 BHP Billiton 1360 Post Oak Blvd. Suite 500 Houston Texas 77056 USA There are many areas of complex velocity structure such as sub-salt areas in the Gulf of Mexico where improvements in depth imaging and noise removal have given better images. However there are many areas some known to contain large accumulations of hydrocarbons where the images are inadequate for cost effective appraisal and development and other areas where better images could open new exploration opportunities. Throughout the history of seismic processing computer power has been a limiting factor leading to