oa Keynote Presentation: Subsalt Imaging by Image-Domain Target-Orientated Wavefield Inversion

The past few years have seen dramatic improvements in our capabilities to image targets below complex salt bodies. The routine acquisition of wide-azimuth data both on land and marine (either by multi-vessel streamer acquisition or by ocean-bottom seismometers) has substantially improved target illumination and reduced multiples-related noise. The capability to perform large-scale reverse-time migration (RTM) is enabling the industry to take full advantage of wide-azimuth data. However, two main obstacles are still hampering subsalt imaging: 1) poor and uneven illumination and 2) velocity estimation, particularly in the subsalt regions and in above-salt minibasins.