Acoustic multiple reflection elimination in the image domain and in the data domain

Abstract

One of the most crucial estimates retrieved from measured seismic reflection data is the subsurface image. The image provides detailed information of the subsurface of the Earth. Seismic reflection data consists of so-called primary and multiple reflections. Primary reflections are events that have been reflected a single time, while multiple reflections have been reflected multiple times before they are recorded by the receivers. Most current migration algorithms assume all reflections in the data are primary reflections. Hence, in order to retrieve an accurate image of the subsurface, multiple reflections need to be eliminated before migration. Keeping the multiple reflections in the measured seismic reflection data will lead to a sub-optimal image of the subsurface, because the multiple reflections will be imaged as if they were primary reflections. Such artefacts in the image can cause erroneous interpretation...