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Imaging scattering objects masked by specular reflections

Evgenii Kozlov, Nikolai Barasky*, and Evgenii Korolev, Paradigm Geophysical Alexander Antonenko and Evgenii Koshchuk, Krasnoyarskgeofizika
Summary Migration with large apertures is known to be a powerful tool for imaging non-specular (scattering) objects such as rough erosion surfaces, fault faces, fuzzy zones of increased fracturing and lithology replacements. Yet sometimes, the scatterers, even properly imaged, are masked by dominating specular reflections. To enhance the images of scatterers, we propose to create supplementary data cube where the specular component is attenuated relative to the scattered component. For this, we elaborate a special technique which is, basically, a Kirchhoff migration with weighting function modified by inclusion of an additional taper with controlled parameters. We illustrate through a field data example that the technique can essentially enhance seismic images of scattering objects. Introduction Recently, a series of papers appears advocating reduction of aperture size in Kirchhoff migration to the limits of first Fresnel zone (Chen, 2004; Hertweck et al., 2003; Sun, 2000). Such a reduction, with appropriate tapering, is probably the best strategy in imaging specular portion of the wave field acquired by reflection seismic surveying. When all the objects of interest are bounded by specular surfaces, the strategy is the best absolutely. However, such objects as rough erosion surfaces, fault faces, fuzzy zones of increased fracturing or lateral lithology alteration, are essentially nonspecular and yet, sometimes these objects are of primary exploration interest. And commonly, such exploration objects are difficult to detect exactly because of the lack of specular component in their seismic signature. The latter statement may seem to be not quite obvious. Indeed, all one shall do to image both specular and nonspecular objects is not to limit seismic migration aperture to the region of Fresnel zone. For this, Kirchhoff migration with aperture as wide as possible, or wave equation migration, or other more sophisticated kinds of migration (e.g., common reflection angle migration, Koren et al., scattering angle migration, Sollid and Ursin 2003) will do nicely because they use for imaging both specular and non-specular (scattered) portion of the total wave field as much of each component, as is contained in the input data. The latter notion is exactly the reason why such universal tools may occur to be not the best technique for imaging essentially non-specular objects. Indeed, specular component radiated by geological surfaces nearby the scatterer, is commonly much stronger than the scattered portion generated by the scatterer of interest, and can interfere destructively with the scattered component. In other words, the wave field component which is conventionally perceived as seismic signal, performs as noise when solving the problem of detecting and delineating scatterers. Once recognized as noise in the framework of non-specular object imaging problem, the specular component should then be treated like a noise, i.e., eliminated or at least attenuated to make scatterers better visible in the residual image. The objective of this paper is to substantiate a technique to obtain such residual images and illustrate possible results by a field example. We call the technique Scattering Object Imaging SOI. Theory and Method The most appropriate migration methods for enhanced imaging of scattering objects are probably common scattering angle-oriented techniques (e.g., Koren et al., 2002; Sollid and Ursin, 2003). However, to explain our approach, we use here Kirchhoff migration formalism because it is most transparent and most widely known. Qualitative geometrical explanation. Figure 1a represents schematic seismic time section of a single specular reflector and single scattering object (fault face). From the viewpoint of 2D poststack Kirchhoff migration/modeling geometry, pre-migration stack is a superposition of dynamic diffraction hyperbolae. Specular reflector is imaged in premigration data by constructive interference of the hyperbolae portions belonging to Fresnel zones (lenseshaped spots constituting the specular reflector image in Figure 1a); the hyperbolae tails are mutually annihilated by destructive interference. On the contrary, in the signature of a scatterer (e.g., a fault), full hyperbolae including tailes are preserved. When migrating with maximum aperture, constructive portion of the image of specular reflector is contributed only by the Fresnel zones of the migration hyperbolae, whereas the image of the scatterer is built from constructive contribution of both the hyperbolae tops and tails. When reflectors are weak and/or sparse, both the reflectors and scatterers are seen in the migrated section, Figure 1b. However, when specular reflections are strongly dominating, they can mask scatterers (e.g., faults with no detectable throw), even if the latter are properly imaged, Figure 1c.

SEG Int'l Exposition and 74th Annual Meeting * Denver, Colorado * 10-15 October 2004

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To make the scatterers better seen, natural solution is to attenuate specular component. For this, a variety of techniques can be used. We propose to do this by modifying the Kirchhoff summation weights in such a way that the diffraction hyperbola portion near the first Fresnel zone is relatively suppressed. This results in weakening both specular and scattered wave field components, but the specular component suffers from this procedure more, than the scattered component. This is because in the data subject to migration, nearly all the specular energy is concentrated within respective Fresnel zones, while the scattered energy is smeared more evenly over the whole diffraction hyperbolae, Figure 1a. As a result, the specular component gets attenuated relative to the scattered component. Let each point M belong simultaneously to a specular surface and a scatterer. (For a particular point M, the specular surface reflectivity, or scattering power of the scatterer, or both, may be zero). Then, assuming linear superposition of reflected portion Urefl(, ) and scattered portion Uscat(, ) of the data U(, ), migrated cube V(M) can be represented as V(M) = Vrefl(M) + Vscat(M). Applying the stationary-phase theory (Gelfand and Shilov, 1964) to the specular portion Vrefl(M) of integral (1) yields (Schleicher et al., 1993): V refl ( R ) = w ( *, R ) U refl ( *, ) C ( *, ). (2) Here C(, ) is a factor that does not depend on the weights w(, R), and designates the location of the source-receiver pair for which ray segments with times S(M) and R(M) constitute a specular reflection ray (Schleicher et al., 1993; Chen, 2004). As known (e.g., Schleicher et al., 1993), to estimate the portion Vrefl(R) of integral (1), among the total set of input traces with parameter , a subset refl, belonging to projection of the Fresnel zone of specular surface to the datum, shall be chosen as necessary and sufficient. This subset can be defined by inequality (3) |(, M) - |(, M)| T/4, where T is the period of reflection wavelet at time (, M). To outline this subset, i.e., to define migration aperture appropriate for imaging specular reflections, vector is to be defined. For this, Chen (2004) proposed to insert into the integrand of equation (1) an extra weighting function F(, M), which results, after integration, in a cube V(F)(M) instead of V(M). For the function F(, M), the midpoint coordinates, and/or traveltimes , and/or incident angles may be chosen (Chen, 2004). Here, for definiteness, the F(, M) function is assumed to be midpoint co-ordinates. As shown in (Chen, 2004), relation ~ (4) F ( , ) V ( F ) ( R ) / V ( R ) of volumes V(F)(M) and V(M) provides a cube of midpoint co-ordinates of specular rays, i.e., the cube defines vectors * needed to outline the subset refl using inequality (3). According to the stationary phase theory, integration (1) over vectors that do not satisfy the inequality (3) produce negligible contribution to Vrefl(M) but provides the bulk of scattered component Vscat(M), Figure 2. This solves the problem of separation of specular and scattered components in the domain of migrated data. To prevent appearance of artifacts, the boundary (3), separating specular and scattered energy, shall not be sharp, i.e., a taper function 0, |(, M) - |(, M)| T/4 - T, (5) D(, ) = 0 D() 1, - T T, 1, |(, M) - |(, M)| T/4 + T. shall be introduced into the integrand of equation (1), Figure 2b. To be a good neutralizer (Sun, 2000) of artifacts, the

a b

Specular reflectors

Figure 1. Unmigrated (a) and migrated (b, c) images of a scatterer (dots) in the case of single (a, b) and multiple (c) reflectors, the unmigrated time domain. Solid lines indicate diffractions from the scatterer, and thin dashed lines indicate the tails of diffraction hyperbolae annihilated when forming the specular reflector image (marked by dotted oval in (a)) represented by contributions from respective Fresnel zones.

Quantitative formulation. The 3D Kirchhoff prestack migration operator (Schleicher et al., 1993; Chen, 2004) is given by V (M ) = w ( , M ) U ( , ) d 1 d 2 . (1)

Here V(M) is the migrated image at point M of the subsurface, (1, 2) is a 2D vector describing geometry of source-geophone pairs, w(, M) is weighting function accounting, first of all, for geometrical divergence, U is timedifferentiated seismic data, ( , M) is the sum of propagation times S(M) from source to point M and R(M) from M to receiver. The set of vectors is defined by field layout and aperture .

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taper D(, ) shall have partial derivatives of all orders. Conceptually, to provide the best, in the RMS sense, separation of specular and scattered energy, the taper shape (e.g., its width 2T) shall be chosen so as to satisfy the condition Field data example The field under study is located within the Kamovsk dome of Baikitskaya anteclise. The main oil-bearing reservoir is a tight Riphean carbonate formation with low (1-3%) porosity related to fractures and vugs. The reservoir top is a rough erosional surface represented in seismic data as a weak and unstable seismic horizon R0. More continuous seismic markers are horizons B (top of Vendian) and R4 traced below the reservoir within the Riphean formation, Figure 3. The Riphean-Vendian rocks are penetrated by at least two systems of long-living faults, one system with average fault strike of about 140 and another with strikes of about 65. The seismic data interpretation is hampered mainly by instability of the R0 horizon and difficulties of tracking fault surfaces. Results of SOI technique and conventional data processing are compared in Figures 3 to 5. In Figure 3, vertical sections are presented.

V
()

2 scat

2 ( R ) /[Vreflt ( R) + N 2 ( R )] = max, R , (6)

within a target scatterer region of migrated volume. Noise N here includes all events other than specular reflections and scattered energy belonging to the target. The region is defined arbitrarily, so it is reasonable to try two or more different tapers D. In Figure 2b, two such tapers are shown - mild and harsh ones. Qualitatively, the mild taper D, as it is shown in Figure 2b, should attenuate considerable portion of specular component and a very small portion of scattered component, while the harsh taper should attenuate practically all the specular component and a considerable portion of the scattered component. In both cases, the scattered component gets relatively enhanced.

2000

R0

2500

R0

R4
Figure 2. SOI in terms of the stationary phase formalism, the zero offset case: normalized Fourier transform of the integrand of equation (1) for horizontal specular reflector (a, solid line), diffraction from a point scatterer (b, solid line), and tapers D (b, small dots for mild taper and large dots for harsh taper). For specular reflector (a), the sum of positive samples outside the first Fresnel zone equals the sum of negative samples.

3000

Figure 3: Vertical seismic depth sections resulted from conventional prestack depth migration (a) and SOI migration (b).

Summarizing, the SOI procedure for arbitrary geology shall include: I. Calculation of migrated cube with maximum aperture .; II. Calculation of the F(*,) function, e.g., the cube of midpoints of specular rays; III. Definition of the taper D; IV. Calculation of the Vscat cube from equation (1) modified by insertion of the taper D in the integrand; V. Optionally, calculation of the Vrefl cube from equation (1) modified by insertion of the taper (1 D) in the integrand, if the result of the stage I is regarded as not the best estimate of the Vrefl component. When dips of specular reflectors are small, the procedure is simplified radically because there is no need for the stage II, and stage III becomes very simple. Note: traveltimes calculated at the stage I are valid for stages IV and V.

As seen, some faults in the Riphean massif are better imaged in the section produced by SOI migration. Also, the rough eroded Riphean surface (horizon R0) can be traced more reliably using the SOI results. At the same time, specular horizons (i.e., B) are deteriorated. This is why the SOI results must be treated as complementary to conventionally processed data. The same relates to images of horizontal slices of two cubes one conventionally migrated (Figures 4a and 5a) and another one obtained using the SOI technique, Figures 4b and 5b. Fault traces in the target interval, masked by specular component in Figures 4a and 5a, are better seen in Figures 4b and 5b. Some general remarks stemming from both theoretical consideration and practical experience:

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reflectors are tilted one shall be careful to define normal incidence point. This done, theoretically, the scatterers shall be imaged equally well by both prestack and poststack migrations. Multiples are commonly generated by specular reflectors, so SOI helps detect scatterers masked by multiples as well as primary reflections. The SOI technique differs from other tools for detecting discontinuities (e.g., Gersztenkom and Marfurt,1999; Gao, 2003) by its theoretical basis, so it can be fruitfully used in combination with such tools.
Figure 4. Horizontal slices at depth of 2736 m cut from conventionally created cube (a) and from the SOI cube (b). Reciprocal arrow pairs are pointing along some fault traces.

a
Depth 2736 m

In terrigenous formations, not only faults, but paleochannels as well are imaged by SOI quite distinctly. The channels can be distinguished from faults by meandering shape and small vertical continuity. Conclusion The proposed technique of enhanced visualization of scattering objects in seismic images is based on the difference of migration effects on specular and scattering objects. The difference stems from the diversity of the stationary phase patterns of these objects when subjected to migration/demigration procedures. Essentially, the technique is reduced to Kirchhoff or common angle migration with the migration operator modified by inclusion of a taper function intended for controlled attenuation of speculat component of the data processed. The technique proved to be useful complementary tool in solving the problem of imaging scattering objects masked by strong specular reflections. References Chen, J., 2004, Specular ray parameter extraction and stationary-phase migration, Geophysics 69, 249-256.

a
Depth 2840 m

Figure 5. Horizontal slices at cut at depth of 2840 m from conventionally created cube (a) and from the SOI cube (b).

Gao, D., 2003, Volume texture extraction for 3D seismic visualization and interpretation, Geophysics 68, 1294-1302. Gersztenkom, A., and Marfurt, K., 1999, Eigenstructurebased coherence computation as an aid to 3-D structural and stratigraphic mapping, Geophysics 64, 1468-1479. Hertweck, T., Jaeger, Ch., Goertz, A., and Schleicher, J., 2003, Aperture effects in 2.5D Kirchhoff migration: A geometrical explanation, Geophysics 68, 1673- 1684. Koren, Z., Xu, S. and Kosloff, D., 2002, Target oriented common reflection angle migration, 72nd Ann. Internat. Mtg: Soc. of Expl. Geophys., 1196-1199. Sollid A., and Ursin B., 2003, Scattering-angle migration of ocean-bottom seismic data in weakly anisotropic media, Geophysics 68, 641-655. Sun, J., 2000, Limited aperture migration, Geophysics 65, 584-595.

To realize full imaging potential of SOI, the migration (Kirchhoff or common angle) shall be applied with Voronoi weighting option, and flexible controlled compensation for pulse stretch and aliasing effects. Impulse response of the migration operator shall be smoothly tapered along its boundary. Stack before migration deteriorates specular reflections more seriously than non-specular ones, so if the specular

SEG Int'l Exposition and 74th Annual Meeting * Denver, Colorado * 10-15 October 2004