3-D Seismic Imaging / Трехмерная сейсмическая визуализация

In the past decade, 3-D reflection seismology has almost entirely replaced 2-D seismology in the seismic industry. Recording 3-D surveys has become the norm, instead of the exception. The application of 2-D seismology is mostly limited to reconnaissance surveys, or to where recording 3-D data is still prohibitively expensive, such as in rough mountains and wild forests. However, academic research and teaching have struggled to keep up with the 3-D revolution. As a consequence of this tardiness, there are no books available that introduce the theory of seismic imaging from the 3-D perspective. This book is aimed at filling the gap. Seismic processing of 3-D data is inherently different from 2-D processing. The differences begin with data acquisition: 3-D data geometries are considerably more irregular than 2-D geometries. Furthermore, 3-D acquisition geometries are never “complete” because sources and receivers are never laid out in dense areal arrays covering the surface above the target. These fundamental differences, together with the increased dimensionality of the problem, strongly influence the methods applied to process, visualize, and interpret the final images. Most 3-D imaging methods and algorithms cannot be derived from their 2-D equivalent “just by adding a couple of dimensions to the 2-D equations”. This book introduces seismic imaging from the 3-D perspective, starting from a 3-D Earth model. However, because the reader is likely to be familiar and comfortable already with 2-D processing methods, whenever useful I discuss the connections between 3-D algorithms and the corresponding 2-D algorithms. <...>