Ernesto Sandoval-Curiel

Near-surface and anisotropy modeling for efficient land seismic depth imaging in low-relief geology

AbstractPrestack depth migration of land data presents unique characteristics and challenges that distinguish it from the workflows applied for marine data. Such unique characteristics are primarily related to the near surface. In areas of low-relief geology, near-surface velocity variations can obscure the reservoir structure. The remaining deeper earth model section has good lateral continuity and can be described effectively by smooth velocity fields. Strategies for estimating the near-surface effects and incorporating them into a processing workflow are of primary importance for the successful depth imaging of land seismic data. The second important aspect of a depth imaging workflow is that the seismic image must honor the well markers or formation tops. The subhorizontal fine-scale layering of low-relief structures can cause anisotropy that needs to be taken into account to achieve accurate well ties and good image quality. We have evaluated the application of an efficient workflow to achieve fast a...