The instant invention is designed to provide an adaptive approach to removing short-period time/phase distortions within a downward-continuation process that is a key component of seismic migration algorithms. Using techniques analogous to residual statics corrections that are used in standard seismic processing, one inventive approach estimates and removes the effects of short wavelength velocity disruptions, thereby creating clearer seismic images of the subsurface of the earth. Additionally, the instant method will provide an updated velocity model that can be used to obtain further image improvement.

The present invention relates to a one-way wave equation prestack depth migration method using an elastic generalized-screen (EGS) wave propagator capable of efficiently expressing the movement of an elastic wave passing through a mutual mode conversion between a P-wave and an S-wave while propagating boundary surfaces of an underground medium, by expanding, to an elastic wave equation, a conventional scalar generalized-screen (SGS) technique capable of quickly calculating the propagation of a wave in a medium in which there is a horizontal speed change, and according to the present invention, provided is a prestack EGS migration method for seismic wave multi-component data, which: can calculate a wave field with higher accuracy in a medium having a complex structure by expanding up to a second term of a Taylor series expansion of a vertical slowness term of a propagator; includes a mode separation operator in the propagator so as to directly use a shot gather as a migration input, without the need to separate multi-component data into a P-wave and an S-wave, enabling P-wave and S-wave image sections to be generated; and is configured to improve the quality of an S-wave migration image by correcting a polarity conversion in a wave number-frequency domain prior to S-wave imaging.

A method, including: generating updated velocity models, each corresponding to one of a plurality of initial velocity models of intersecting 2D seismic survey lines, wherein updates to the plurality of initial velocity models are computed by imposing a seismic-tie regularization constraint on an inversion process that inverts for the updates to the plurality of initial velocity models, and the seismic-tie regularization constraint causes the updated velocity models to have consistent values for depth of seismic reflectivity at intersecting spatial locations.

Synthetic survey data is generated using a two-way or one-way wave propagator based on a current model of a target structure. The current model is modified to reduce a difference between the synthetic survey data and observed survey data, while maintaining unchanged a velocity component of the current model, where the modifying of the current model produces a modified model. The modified model is used to reduce an adverse effect of multiples in the target structure, or to promote a favorable effect of multiples in the target structure.

A system and method for analyzing geologic features including fluid estimation and lithology discrimination may include the steps of identifying areas of interest on a seismic horizon, computing statistical data ranges for the seismic amplitudes within the areas of interest, and analyzing the geologic features based on the amplitude variation with offset (AVO) or angle (AVA) curves including the statistical data ranges.

A method includes receiving, via a processor, input data based upon received seismic data, migrating, via the processor, the input data via a pre-stack depth migration technique to generate migrated input data, encoding, via the processor, the input data via an encoding function as a migration attribute to generate encoded input data having a migration function that is non-monotonic versus an attribute related to the input data, migrating, via the processor, the encoded input data via the pre-stack depth migration technique to generate migrated encoded input data, and generating an estimated common image gather based upon the migrated input data and the migrated encoded input data. The method also includes generating a seismic image utilizing the estimated common image gather, wherein the seismic image represents hydrocarbons in a subsurface region of the Earth or subsurface drilling hazards.

In some embodiments, a time migration diffraction imaging method includes computing a pseudo-depth characterizing a subsurface seismic event by scaling a vertical traveltime using a scaling velocity. A specularity value for a subsurface seismic event is determined according to the pseudo-depth, and a contribution weight for a corresponding seismic trace amplitude is determined according to the specularity value. The specularity value may be determined according to an angle between a traveltime gradient and a normal to a local reflector surface. A diffraction image is generated according to a weighted sum of seismic trace amplitudes. The weighted sum attenuates the contribution of specular events relative to diffraction events.

A method for generating seismic attribute gathers, the method including: computing, with a computer, seismic images with a field dataset; generating, with a computer, synthetic data corresponding to the seismic images; computing, with a computer, an attribute volume by applying an expectation method to the synthetic data; mapping, with a computer, the attribute volume to the seismic images; and generating, with a computer, seismic attribute gathers by stacking the seismic images mapped to the attribute volume.

Method for optimal stacking of seismic images to remove noise and enhance signals in seismic images (101) outputted from a Reverse Time Migration (RTM) imaging process. Dip information is calculated (102) and then sorted by image point (104), for each seismic image to be stacked. A dominant dip and azimuth is determined at each image point (106), and only those events are stacked (107). If the image is still noisy or lacking in detail (108), the process may be iterated (109) to improve the selection of most likely dip and azimuth.

A data optimization method and an integral prestack depth migration method are provided, including acquiring a target matrix to be optimized; generating a first sequence according to the target matrix; rarefying the first sequence according to a preset grid density to obtain a value position of each element of a second sequence, and working out a value of each element of the second sequence on the basis of the principle of least squares; performing interpolation on the second sequence to obtain a third sequence; calculating a target matrix corresponding to the third sequence; calculating an error between the target matrix to be optimized and the target matrix corresponding to the third sequence; recording, when the error is less than the first error threshold, the target matrix corresponding to the above second sequence as an optimized target matrix of the target matrix to be optimized.