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High-accuracy migration and demigration techniques for active fault seismic exploration

  • Seismic migration
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Abstract

Developing a mathematical method for evaluating the reliability of imaging results in seismic data processing is essential for further advancing methods for active fault exploration based on accurately locating the spatial position and fi ne structures of faults. This study introduces demigration—a technique that is the inverse of seismic wave migration—into seismic data processing for active fault exploration. By analyzing the relationship between migration and demigration, a high-precision fl ow for the processing of active source seismic exploration data is proposed. This flow involves prestack depth-domain reverse time migration and wave equation–based demigration. This study focuses on processing the exploration data of complex fault structures, such as growth faults and flower structures. Processing results demonstrate that the proposed processing fl ow for seismic data eff ectively enhances the accuracy and reliability of the seismic imaging profiles of active faults. The introduction of seismic data processing operators for migration and demigration (which are inverse operations) into the fi eld of active fault seismic exploration is expected to improve the accuracy and resolution of results considerably. The proposed technique can be used for the high-precision imaging of seismic data before joint geological drilling or other scientific drilling research. By combining multiple mathematical means for cross-checking, it can effectively ensure the positioning accuracy of the uppermost point of a fault, thereby reducing corresponding drilling costs.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 62175100), Spark Program of Earthquake Sciences of CEA (No. XH22015A), Henan Province Seismic Structure Exploration project(YCZC-2020-950), Special Fund of Chinese Central Government for Basic Scientific Research Operations in Commonweal Research Institutes(No. IGCEA1902)

We would like to express our gratitude to Liu Baojin, a researcher from the Geophysical Exploration Center, China Earthquake Administration, for his great assistance in selecting typical seismic data, developing data processing methods and interpreting seismic structures, etc.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, 100029, China

    Yang Zhang

  2. Geophysical Exploration Center, China Earthquake Administration, Zhengzhou, 450002, China

    Wen Li

  3. Henan Earthquake Agency, Zhengzhou, 450016, China

    Yang Zhang

  4. School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Wen Li

  5. State Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, 100029, China

    Yang Zhang

  6. Shanxi Taiyuan Continental Rift Dynamics National Observation and Research Station, Beijing, 100029, China

    Yang Zhang

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  1. Yang Zhang
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  2. Wen Li
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wen Li.

Additional information

Zhang Yang, Senior Engineer, is a Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration. He mainly researches active tectonics and basin evolutionary dynamics mechanisms.

Corresponding author: Li Wen, Senior Engineer, is a postdoctoral fellow at Nanjing University, mainly studying active source seismic imaging technology and seismic data processing.

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Zhang, Y., Li, W. High-accuracy migration and demigration techniques for active fault seismic exploration. Appl. Geophys. 20, 198–208 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11770-023-1011-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11770-023-1011-5

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