Velocity analysis

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 Effect of stacking on incoherent noise

Tools for Velocity Analysis

Constant velocity gather

CMP gather is NMO corrected at single low velocity for whole

gather. Repeated for many other velocities.
All gathers are laid side-by-side.

Disadvantages: poor resolution, only good SNR events can be

checked

Constant Velocity Stack (CVS)

similar to CVG, stacks instead of gather

Disadvantages: as CVG but you dont even look at actual data

original correct overcorrected undercorrected

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 Tools for Velocity Analysis
Velocity Spectrum or Semblance

best modern method Industry standard

define time window in which wavelet is contained

calculate hyperbolic trajectory
measure coherency of trace signal, e.g. semblance

a
1 k M k samples in time window
M 2 M traces across gather
a
k M

Tools for Velocity Analysis

contour semblance statistics as function of intercept time and
stacking velocity

peaks show actual intercept time and velocity

advantage: optimal resolution

weak and strong events

disadvantage: none (as long as software allows interactive

picking and displaying of results)

Velocity spectra can be distorted in areas with static problems

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Stacking Velocity VS
Is the velocity that you have to put into the NMO equations
such that the CMP gather stacks (adds) together best, i.e. the
velocity that allows the best fit of the travel time curve on a
CMP gather to the hyperbola within the spread length.
Approximately equal to VRMS for small spreads

a) Actual data move-out

b) Best-fitting hyperbola
(stacking velocity)
VNMO=VRMS

c) NMO approximation
(short spread)
VNMO= VS

Multiple horizontal layers

x

Root-Mean-Square Velocity

1
vi 2 t i 2

VRMS N
= N
ti
N

ti= travel time through i-th layer

NMO

x2
TN 2
2V RMS T0

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Velocity Terminology

2 x depth to reflector
Average Velocity Va =
Two way time
2 x thickness of layer
Interval Velocity Vi =
Two way time in layer
Stacking Velocity VS = best fitting velocity to hyperbola
1

VRMS = Vij t j
2 2
RMS Velocity

tj
Interval Stacking Vs2j t 0 j Vs2j 1t 0 j 1
Velocity VIS =
t 0 j t 0 j 1

Dix equation

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NMO Stretching

As a result of NMO correction a distortion of the period

of a reflection occurs, particularly for shallow events

f t NMO
=
f t0

3) Constant velocity stack

After applying the NMO corrections using a constant

stacking velocity traces are stacked producing a
summed trace.
Correct Vsversus time function chosen from the best
amplitudes in the stack

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 Multiple
suppression
post-stack
processing

In general, its likely that multiples have a slower
NMO velocity than primaries at the same TWT

So if the primary is properly corrected, multiples will be

under-corrected (v is too big in x2/2v2t0)

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Corrected gathers can be put
into FK domain
Primaries plot on K=0 axis,
multiple plot at range of +ve K

If a stacking velocity
function between
primaries & multiples is
used, primaries &
multiples are over- and
under-corrected, so plot
into opposite halves of K
space

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