Subsalt Imaging by Wave Equation Reflectivity Inversion

Complex propagation of seismic waves through salt bodies, combined with incomplete acquisition geometry, result in uneven illumination of subsalt targets. Consequently, amplitude information from migrated images can be distorted. We propose the use of a wave equation reflectivity inversion (WEI) to mitigate non-geological amplitude variations. WEI requires explicit computation of the point-spread functions (PSFs), as part of a linear inversion workflow. The implementation is efficient, and successfully reduces the effects of irregular illumination. Results from synthetic and field data experiments demonstrate how WEI mitigates amplitude distortions and enhances the resolution of migrated images. The WEI enhanced images are readily available for attribute analysis and reservoir studies.