Velocity model evaluation through Born modeling and migration: a feasibility study

Abstract:

A way to quickly test many possible migration velocity models would be a valuable interpretation tool. Here, a modified Born modeling scheme is used to simulate a new, smaller dataset from an initial image, allowing for target-oriented migrations in a fraction of the time needed for a full migration of the original dataset. Furthermore, the simulated dataset is migrated with a generalized source function derived from the original prestack image, preserving important velocity information that would be lost if a standard wavelet were used as the source function. While the method is currently limited to analysis of a single reflector, initial tests on a simple 2D synthetic model indicate that this method can accurately and efficiently produce images comparable to full standard migrations.