CASCADED F·K MIGRATlONS: REMOVING THE RESTRICTIONS ON DEPTH-VARYING VELOCITY

Despite our understanding that depth migration is a more powerful imaging tool than time migration, time migration still constitutes the majority of migration done today. In selecting a time-migration algorithm, three primary criteria are of concern: accuracy in imaging steep dips, accuracy in the presence of vertical velocity variation, and computational effort. The ideal algorithm would be efficient and unlimited in its ability to image steep dips in arbitrary vertical velocity structures. It would also accommodate gentle lateral velocity variations deemed acceptable for time migration methods.