Application: removal of cross-line smear

The theory behind the interpolation scheme presented here could also be used to address the problem of cross-line smear in 3-D marine surveys, discussed by Yilmaz (1987). Cable feathering causes midpoint locations to be distributed over the cells of a 3-D marine survey. If there is a significant amount of cross-dip in the subsurface, this midpoint scatter brings with it time shifts that cause a departure from hyperbolic moveout, and a smearing of the stacked amplitudes. Removal of the midpoint smear requires an estimate of the dip. The algorithm described here could be used to automatically determine the dip. Time shifts could be computed and applied to map all midpoints to the cell center.