MESA Expert

This series of exercises will introduce you to many of the

options that are available in MESA for the design and QC of
surveys and subsurface models. It is a good idea to refer to
the MESA users manual for more details about the features
described in these exercises.

GMG Expert Files.....................................................2

Ex #1: Basic MESA Expert Usage...........................3
Ex #2: Building Models..........................................14
Ex #3 Expert Attributes.........................................26
Ex #4 Converted Waves.......................................45
Ex #5 Converted Waves (Part II)..........................63
Ex #6 Smart Aperture Tool....................................81
GMG Expert Files
The files in the following list are generated by MESA Expert. These files are a combination of
ASCII and binary. Not all of these files will be found with every database.

File Extension Format Description

*.gmf ASCII Model information

*.idd Binary Image ray attribute information

*.ird Binary Image ray information

*.mdd Binary Model attribute information

*.ndd Binary Normal ray attribute information

*.nrd Binary Normal ray information

*.odb Binary Offset ray information

*.rdd Binary Offset ray attribute information

*.srd Binary Smart ray information

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EXERCISE #1 -- Basic MESA Expert Usage
This exercise shows the basic sequence of steps for using MESA Expert. You will be laying out a
geometry, creating a subsurface model, raytracing the model, calculating attributes, and then
creating a synthetic from the raytracing results. This exercise uses a 2D survey and a pseudo
2D model as a simple example.

1) Start MESA or select New Database from the File menu. Lay out the receivers and
sources using the values shown below. Save this survey as expert01.

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2) Shoot the survey with a 1x240 template. Create a bin grid with the following parameters
and calculate the fold, offsets, and azimuths information.

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3) Choose Launch Model Builder from the Expert menu. Press the File New button to
create a new model. Fill in the Model Definition dialog as shown to define your model
space. Save the model as expert01.

4) The display shows a map view of the model space. Draw a cross section on the model that
has a Y coordinate of 0 for the start and end of the section. There must be just one cross
section that only has two points and it must extend all of the way across the model space.
This will allow you to use the 2.5D gridding option.

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5) Switch to Horizon View. Press the New Horizon button and draw a flat horizon at a depth
of -45.

6) Draw four more horizons. Horizon2 should go from a depth of -345 on the left side of the
model to a depth of -450 on the right. Horizon3 should go from -545 to -650. Horizon4
should go from -695 to -800. Horizon5 should be flat at -1250. As you add new horizons,
you will be prompted to define the position of the horizon relative to existing horizons. If
you define the model from top to bottom, then select the last item in the order list
otherwise, insert the new horizon into the proper, logical place in the sequence.

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7) Select Gridding from the Model Grid button pulldown menu. You have to grid all of the
horizons to extend them across the 3D model space. Choose Top in the Horizon
Selection for Gridding list. Select Model Extent in the Grid Method list. This sets the
Top horizon to the top of the model space.

8) Select the other five horizons in the list and choose 2.5D from the Grid Method list. Press
the (Un)Select All Horizons button to highlight the five horizons and the top horizon. This
will activate the Inc. (dx=dy) edit box. Change the Inc. (dx=dy) field to 6.25. Press OK to
grid the model.

9) Select Display 3D Window to look at the results of the gridding.

10) Switch to Velocity View. Choose each layer in the list and set the velocities and density.

Layer Vp Vs Density

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 Top Horizon1 800 440 1.789
Horizon1 Horizon2 2800 1540 2.448
Horizon2 Horizon3 4600 2750 2.829
Horizon3 Horizon4 4200 2310 2.709
Horizon4 Horizon5 4820 2651 2.803
Horizon5 Bottom 5500 3025 2.898

11) Save the model and exit Model Builder.

12) Select Load Model File from the Expert menu. Load the expert01 model. The model
name will be listed in the Legend after is loaded. You can view the model and the survey in
the 3D Window. You could also calculate Model Attributes at this point.

13) Choose Expert Launch Enhanced Raytracer to start the raytracer. The model and
survey files will be automatically loaded.

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14) Select Raytracing Parameterize. The model and geometry will already be specified.
Press the Create New Database radio button. Press the Output Database button and
name your raytracing results file expert01_enhanced.

15) Press the Parameterize button and choose the ray types to create and which horizons to
use in the raytracing. Select P-P Waves and Head Wave from the P Wave options. Select
all five interfaces in the Select Interface(s) listbox. Press OK and then press the Trace
Rays button to create the ray files. Exit the program after raytracing is completed.

16) Load the expert01_enhanced_pp.odb ray file into MESA by selecting Load Offset Ray File
in the Expert menu. The ray file name will be listed in the Legend to show that it has been
loaded.

17) Select 3D Window from the Display menu. Press the Scene Information button. Go to
the Offset Rays tab and choose all of the horizons to display rays from all of the horizons.
Go to the Sources tab and select a source in the list to display the rays for that source.
The rays are colored by their source receiver offset.

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18) Choose Expert Attributes from the Expert Attributes button pulldown menu. This opens
the Expert Attributes Manager Window. Press the Create Offset Ray Attributes button.
Select the Calculate All Attributes radio button and enter a name for the attribute set such
as horizon 5. Uncheck the Save CRP Fold to Named Fold Calculation checkbox and
choose Horizon5 from the Target Horizon list. Press OK to calculate all of the attributes
for Horizon5.

19) There are eight raytracing attributes that can be displayed in map view. Select the CRP
Fold radio button from the Display listbox. Press the Expert Attribute button in the Design
Window to display the CRP Fold. You can leave the Expert Attributes Manager dialog open
while you view the attributes in the Design Window. Choose a different radio button in the
Display listbox to view that attribute.

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20) You can create synthetic trace gathers based on this rayset. Select Gather Window from
the Advisor menu. Choose Expert Synthetic Parameters from the Display Expert
Synthetic Gather button pulldown menu. Set the Wavelet Type to Ricker. Uncheck all of
the Noise Events. Uncheck Top Horizon and Horizon1 in the Horizons list. Set the Trace
Length(ms) to 1000. Press OK to generate traces from the specified horizons.

21) Choose the Select Source option from the Select Sources button pulldown menu. The
Design Window will come to the front. Click on a source in the center of the survey. The
trace gather for that source will be displayed. Apply a gain to the traces by pressing the

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 Gain and Filtering Parameters button. Select a Mean AGC with an AGC Length of 50
ms.

22) Next well examine a few bin gathers. Choose Numeric Entry from the Select Bins button
pulldown menu. Enter 1100 for the Starting Bin and 1500 for the Ending Bin. Select
Trace Processing under the Display Expert Synthetic Gather button pulldown menu.

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 Check the Stretch Mute, Apply NMO, and Stack Bin Gathers checkboxes. Set the
stretch mute Percent to 0.25. Press OK to see the stacked gathers.

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EXERCISE #2 -- Building Models
This exercise demonstrates how to build depth or time models in Model Builder. You will use
several different methods to create horizons, including ASCII import, a background image, and a
SEGY file. The second model in this exercise is the Laurain model and it uses the parameters
and model image presented in Laurain, R., and Vinje, V., 2001, PreStack Depth Migration and
illumination maps: Expanded Abstracts, SEG 71st Annual Meeting, San Antonio, MIG2.7.

1) Select Launch Model Builder from the Expert menu in MESA. Select New Model from
the File menu in Model Builder. Change the Z value from meters to milliseconds. Set a
Min X value of -2000, a min Y of -1000, a min Z of 0, a Max X of 4000, a Max Y of 4000,
and a Max Z of 4000. Press OK and save the model as expert02_time.

2) Go into the Import menu and choose SEGY -> Load. For the trace format, use the file
gather_window.tdf and for the trace file use the file 4HorizonStack.sgy. Both files are
included with the example data. Model Builder automatically creates a cross section using
the coordinates in the SEGY header. Switch to Horizon View to see the traces displayed
on that cross section. You can use the Show Panel Edges option in the Horizon View
button pulldown menu to toggle the green panel lines on and off.

3) For each of the four events in the seismic data, create a new horizon by pressing the New
Horizon button and defining two endpoints on each side of the section. The first horizon
should be at 1000 ms, the second horizon should be at 1356 ms, the third horizon should

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 be at 1660 ms, and the fourth horizon goes from 2636 ms to 2140 ms. Your model should
now appear as shown:

4) Grid the model using Model Extent for the Top horizon and 2.5D gridding for all of the other
horizons with a grid increment of 60.

5) Go to the Velocity View and set the velocities for the each layer as shown:

Layer Vp Vs Density
Top Horizon1 2000 1100 2.25
Horizon1 Horizon2 2800 1650 2.49
Horizon2 Horizon3 3300 1650 2.49
Horizon3 Horizon4 4000 1100 2.25
Horizon4 Bottom 5000 2750 2.829

6) Once the layer velocities have been defined, the model must be converted from time to
depth. Only depth models can be used for raytracing. Simply press the Convert to Depth
button to perform the conversion. Model Builder will prompt you to save the time model
before it is converted to depth. After the conversion finishes, select Save As from the File
menu and name the depth model expert02_depth.

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7) Choose File New Model and create a model space (units in meters) with a Min X of 0, a
Min Y of -750, a Min Z of -5000, a Max X of 15,000, a Max Y of 750, and a Max Z of 0.
Save the model as expert02_laurain.

8) Choose Horizon from the Import menu and press the ASCII button in the resulting dialog.
Load the file called LaurainHorizons.txt into the Import Window. In order, the four
columns of this file represent the horizon name, the x coordinate, the y coordinate, and the
z coordinate for the model horizons. Set the first data line (line 2) and define the columns
for importing these four data fields. Press the Go button to import the horizons. Use a grid
interval of 50 for the imported horizons when you are prompted. You can view the imported
horizons by selecting 3D Window from the Display menu.

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9) Switch back to the cross section view. Use the Manual Entry button and define a single
two-point cross section line that runs from point (0,0) to point (15000,0). Switch to the
Horizon View to see the imported horizons on this cross section.

10) Select Image Load from the Import menu. Choose the Fit to Cross Section option and
then load the file LaurainModel.lyr. You can now use this image to define the salt lens in
the model.

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11) Press the New Horizon button and give it a name of Salt Top. Click anywhere on the
cross section. This will bring up the Horizon Order dialog. This dialog is used to place the
new horizon between two existing horizons. This new horizon needs to be between the
Water Bottom and the Target horizons. Select Water Bottom Target in the list and
press OK.

12) Click on the leftmost tip of the salt lens to place the first horizon point. All horizons in the
model must extend through the entire model space. Click on the far left edge of the cross
section to extend the horizon in that direction. Adjust the points so that the horizon is as flat
as possible and so that it does not intersect the imported Target horizon.

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13) Use the right mouse button to zoom in on the salt lens. Click points along the top edge of
the salt lens to define the horizon around that feature. Extend the horizon straight across
from the rightmost tip of the salt lens to the right edge of the cross section.

14) Create a new horizon with the name Salt Bottom. Again click anywhere on the cross
section to bring up the Horizon Order dialog. Select Salt Top Target. Click on the Salt
Top horizon point at the leftmost tip of the salt lens. This links the Salt Bottom horizon to
the Salt Top horizon at that point. Model Builder . Press the Left button to automatically
link the Salt Bottom horizon and the Salt Top horizon to the left of the selected point.

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15) Zoom in on the salt lens again and click points along the bottom edge of the salt lens. Click
on the Salt Top point on the rightmost tip of the lens to link the horizons again. Press the
Right button to automatically link the rest of the horizon.

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16) Select Gridding from the Model Grid button pulldown menu. Choose Top in the horizon
list and set its gridding method to Model Extent. Choose the two salt horizons and set
their gridding method to 2.5D. Press the (Un)Select All Horizons button to select all of the
horizons, change the model grid increment to 50, and press OK to grid the model.

17) Go to the Velocity View and set the velocities for each layer:
Top Water Bottom: Vp = 1500
Water Bottom Salt Top: Vp = 2400
Salt Top Salt Bottom: Vp = 4000
Salt Bottom Target: Vp = 3000
Target Bottom: Vp = 3600

The Vs and Density values for each layer will be automatically calculated from the Vp. Save the
model.

Save the model again as expert02_laurain.gmf.

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 DO IT YOURSELF MODEL BUILDING

From the File menu, select the Save As option. Save your current model when prompted to do
so. Save the new model as expert02_self.

You can use the Edit menu options to move horizon information between cross sections. If you
are in Horizon view, you can cut or copy the currently selected horizon. If you are in Cross
Section view, you can cut or copy all of the horizons on the currently selected cross section.

Switch to the Cross Section view on your model and select Copy from the Edit menu. Draw a
new cross section, parallel to the existing cross section, towards the bottom of the model space.
Use Paste in the Edit menu to put the copied horizons on the new cross section. Create another
parallel cross section towards the top of the model space and paste the horizons again.

Go into Horizon view and edit the horizons on the different cross sections. Try adding points,
moving points, deleting points, and linking points.

Open the Gridding dialog and try some of the different gridding methods on your edited model.
You can view the results by selecting 3D Window from the Display menu.

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EXERCISE #3 -- Expert Attributes
This exercise reviews the basic workflow for Mesa Expert. You will create a simple geometry, use
a model from the previous exercise, raytrace the model, and analyze the calculated attributes.
This exercise uses the pseudo 3D laurain model from the previous chapter and one source line
from a transition-zone style shooting geometry.

1) Start Mesa and open the Unit Template window from the Layout menu. Set a grid size of 25
meters when prompted.

2) Lay out a very small transition zone geometry with two short receiver cables spanned
orthogonally by a segment of a source line. Fill out the Template Layout dialog parameters
as shown in the following diagram and press the Exit button.

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3) The next step is to replicate the unit template to create our source and receiver locations in
the Design Window. Press the Shoot Options button in the Unit Template Window (gun
icon) to bring up the Unit Template Repeat dialog box. Fill out the parameters as shown in
the following diagram and press OK to generate the survey. Note: Since we are only
generating one source line, the Crossline Spacing is irrelevant.

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4) By default, the Unit Template Window creates a default 25 m by 25 m bin grid. Perform a fold
calculation (Bin Analysis-Fold Calculation) to verify that you have created a 2-fold survey.
We have intentionally made this survey very small in order to quickly complete the raytracing
calculation in the following steps. Save your survey design as expert03.

5) Select Expert-Launch Enhance Raytracer. When the Enhanced Raytracer program comes
up, select Raytracing-Parameterize. Load the expert02_laurain.gmf model and the
expert03.mas geometry. Select the Create New Database radio button. Press the Output
Database button and name your raytracing database expert03_all.

6) Press the Parameterize button. Fill out the parameters as shown in the following diagram.
By default, all sources will be fired. Select the P Wave radio button and select the P-P

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 Waves checkbox. Select all four interfaces in the Select Interface(s) listbox. Press OK
when you are finished.

7) The raytracer is now completely parameterized. Press the Trace Rays button to start the
process. The main program window will update the status of the raytracing after completing
each source point.

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8) After the raytracing is completed, select File-Exit and return to Mesa.

9) In Mesa, select Expert-Load Model File and load expert02_laurain.gmf. Select Expert-
Load Offset Ray File and load expert03_all_pp.odb. Select Expert Attributes from the
pulldown menu of the Expert Attributes pushbutton in the Design Window. The Expert
Attributes Manager Window will appear.

10) Press the Create Model Attributes button to open the Model Analysis dialog. This feature
allows you to analyze some characteristics of your model (independent of raytracing) such as
maximum dip or the maximum bin size you can use without spatially aliasing your data. In
this example, well generate model attributes from two different horizons in the model. In the
Model Analysis dialog, set the Attribute Set Name to Top of Salt. Select Salt Top from the
Horizon list and press OK.

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11) Repeat this process, but set the Attribute Set Name to Target Horizon and select Target
from the Horizon list. Press OK to complete the calculation. You should now have two sets
of model-based attributes listed in the Expert Attributes Manager window.

12) Select Top of Salt from the list of Calculated Attributes. Press the Model Attribute
Display Setup button. The Model Attribute Display Options dialog box allows you to set
parameters for viewing dip angles, bin sizes, and resolution maps. Select the Maximum Dip
radio button and the Dip Angle Map radio button and press OK. Press the Expert
Attributes button in the Design Window to view the dip angle map for the top of the salt body.

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.

13) Next, select Target Horizon from the list of calculated model attributes in the Expert
Attributes Manager Window. Press the Model Attribute Display Setup button. As before,
select the Maximum Dip radio button and the Dip Angle Map radio button and press OK to
display the dip angle map for the target horizon. Note the steeply dipping portion of the
model on the west end of the project.

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Now, press the Model Attribute Display Setup button again and change the display. Select the
Bin Size radio button and set the frequency range to 8-80 Hz.

Press OK and you will see a map of the maximum bin size without spatial aliasing along the
target horizon. In this example, some of the non-aliased bin sizes are as small as 9.63 meters for
80 hz. Given that our chosen bin size for this survey is 25 meters, we can expect some aliasing
for this event unless we either modify our design or change the bin size.

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14) Next, well generate attribute data based on the offset raytracing results. In the Expert
Attributes Manager, press the Create Offset Ray Attributes button. This opens the
Calculate Raytracing Attributes dialog box. As with the model-based attributes, raytracing
attribute sets are tied to a specific horizon. If you are only interested in common reflection
point (CRP) fold, select the CRP Fold Only radio button. If you want to calculate the CRP
fold plus all the other offset ray attributes, select the Calculate All Attributes radio button.
For this example, calculate all of the attributes and name the attribute set Offset-Target.
Optionally, you can also save the CRP fold calculation to a named fold calculation. This
provides some additional flexibility for comparing CRP fold to standard CMP fold. Check the
Save CRP Fold to Named Fold Calculation checkbox and give the calculation the name
CRP Fold. Select Target from the Target Horizon listbox. Press OK to calculate the
attributes for this horizon.

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15) The attribute set named Offset-Target now appears in the Expert Attributes Manager list.
Select this attribute set from the list. The contents of the Display group box change
depending on which type of attribute set you select. When you select an attribute set
calculated from offset raytracing, eight radio buttons appear. Select the CRP Fold radio
button and make sure the Expert Attributes button is still pressed in the Design Window.
This will produce a map of CRP fold on the Target horizon in the model.

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16) Keep the Expert Attributes Manager Window open and examine the rest of the offset
raytracing attributes by selecting the other radio buttons. The following diagram shows a map
of the two-way travel time for the target horizon.

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17) Press OK to close the Expert Attributes Manager. Select Generate Normal Rays from the
Expert menu. Normal rays are zero-offset rays that simulate the raypaths after stacking the
traces in a CMP bin. Select the Shoot Rays from Bin Grid Centers radio button and name
the output file expert03_normal. Press OK to generate the normal rays.

18) Select Generate Image Rays from the Expert menu. Image rays are zero-offset rays that
simulate the raypaths after time migration. Select the Shoot Rays from Bin Grid Centers
radio button and name the output file expert03_image. Press OK to generate the image
rays.

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19) Select Expert-Load Normal Ray File and load expert03_normal.nrd. Select Expert-Load
Image Ray File and load expert03_image.ird.

20) Re-open the Expert Attributes Manager window from the Expert Attributes button pulldown
menu in the Design Window. Press the Create Image Ray Attributes button to create image
rays attributes from the target horizon. Select Target from the Horizon listbox and name the
attribute set Image-Target. Press OK to calculate the attribute set.

21) Press the Create Normal Ray Attributes button to create normal rays attributes from the
target horizon. Select Target from the Horizon listbox and name the attribute set Normal-
Target. Press OK to calculate the attribute set.

22) You now have five sets of attributes listed in the Expert Attribute Manager list. For zero-offset
attribute sets, there are four display choices. Select Normal-Target from the list. Select the
Displacement radio button and view the result in the Design Window (make sure the Expert
Attributes button is pressed). The normal ray displacement is a first order approximation of

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the migration aperture. For this example, the display shows some displacements of ~2000m
on the western side of the model. Since the bins with these displacements are roughly
4000m from the edge of the survey, our survey extents are probably adequate to image this
horizon. If we had large displacement values close to the edge of the model, we might
consider extending the extents of our survey.

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23) Select Image-Target from the list. Select the Displacement radio button and view the result
in the Design Window (make sure the Expert Attributes button is pressed). The image ray
displacement is the xy-difference between the reflection point (after time migration) and the
emergence point on the surface. This plot may give some insight into how well time migration
will position this horizon. In this example, there are some bins with relatively large
displacements on the eastern side of the project.

24) In order to examine the cause of these large displacements in more detail, open the 3D
Window from the Display menu. Open the Scene Information dialog box and select the
Image Rays tab. Select Target from the listbox to turn on image rays for the target horizon.
With the image rays displayed, it is obvious that the salt body is affecting the path of the
image rays from the target horizon.

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25) As a last step, we will compare the CRP fold to the CMP fold. Perform another CMP fold
calculation and save the results as a named fold calculation (expert 03 full data).

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 .

26) Select Bin Analysis-Fold Compare. Calculate the difference between expert 03 full data
and CRP Fold. Store the result in Fold Difference.

27) The fold difference between the CMP and CRP fold should now be visible in the Design
Window. Since some of the difference values will be positive and some will be negative, it
may be beneficial to use one of the alternate color scales. Press the Set Options button
below the color scale in the Design Window to open the Color Scale Settings dialog. Use the

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next and previous buttons to cycle through the standard color scales until you load the red-
blue color scale. Grab the white slider tab on the color scale and slide it up until is has a
value of zero. This will set your color scale so that red values are positive and blue values
are negative.

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28) Finish this exercise by examining the other model and raytracing attributes available in Mesa
expert.

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EXERCISE #4 -- Converted Waves
This exercise reviews some of the functionality for modeling the behavior of PS converted waves
in Mesa Professional and Expert.

1. Create a survey with a single receiver line and a single orthogonal source line using the
following parameters. First, select Layout-Receivers-Lines/Bricks and lay out a single EW
receiver line with 100 receivers.

Next, select Layout-Sources-Lines/Bricks and lay out a single NS source line with 100 sources.

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The simple survey should appear as follows:

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2. Shoot the survey such that every shot fires into all 100 receivers. Press the Shoot button and
create a 1x100 template. Select the Automatic Template Centering option and make sure to
uncheck the Template Roll On/Off checkbox. Verify that your settings are the same as shown
in the following diagram and press the Shoot button.

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You will get prompted to set the template roll limits. Press the Survey Edges button to keep the
template from rolling off and press the Shoot button. All 100 receivers will be active for each
source points.

Save the database as single_cross.

3. The next part of the exercise will demonstrate how the locations of CMP midpoints differ from
P to S CCPs (common conversion points). Press the Midpoint Scatter Display toggle button
to display the CMP locations. As expected for this survey, the pattern of CMP locations will
form a square.

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For the purpose of creating a reference marker, select Display-Annotations to open the
annotation toolbar. Select the option to Create Polygon Annotation. Select a line style and a line
color. In this example, the user chose to draw a dashed, red line. Click out a square polygon
around the boundary of the CMP locations. Double click on the last vertex to close the polygon.
Select Display-Annotations to exit annotation definition mode.

4. Select Bin Analysis-Converted Waves from the menu.

Check the Use Converted Wave Midpoints checkbox. Set the Vp/Vs ratio equal to 2.0. While the
Use Converted Wave Midpoints checkbox is selected, all bin attribute calculations in MESA will
use CCP locations instead of CMP locations.

Conversion points migrate closer to the receiver locations due to the slower velocity of the S
wave on the upgoing travel path. MESA has two different calculations for determining the
locations of PS conversion points. The traditional method for calculating conversion points uses
an asymptotic assumption of a very deep conversion point according to the equation:

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CCPxy = SRCxy + (RECxy - SRCxy) / (1 + ( Vs / Vp ) )
The second method uses a depth-dependent algorithm for determining the location of the CCPs.
Initially, we are going to use the Asymptotic CCP calculation, so select the Asymptotic radio
button and press OK.

5. Change the midpoint scatter display options by selecting the drop down menu from the
Midpoint Scatter Display button.

This will open the following dialog box.

Select the CCP radio button so that the midpoint scatter display will show CCP locations instead
of CMP locations and press the OK button.

6. The Design Window will now show the CCP scatter using the asymptotic conversion point
assumption for a Vp/Vs = 2.0. The following diagram is annotated with arrows to show how
the conversion points have migrated closer to the receiver locations.

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Again, for the sake of reference, select Display-Annotations to open the annotation toolbar.
Select a line style and color and draw a box around the extents of the CCPs for a Vp/Vs = 2.0.

Select Display-Annotations to close the annotation toolbar.

7. As a final test for the asymptotic CCP calculation, select Bin Analysis-Converted Waves again
and change the Vp/Vs ratio to 4.0. Press OK and the Design Window will update with the

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 new locations of the conversion points. As you can see, the CCPs have migrated even
further toward the receiver locations with the increase in Vp/Vs.

Select Display-Annotations to draw another box around this set of CCP locations. You may also
wish to add some text annotations to clarify the display as shown in the following diagram.

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8. The next step is this exercise is to demonstrate the difference between the asymptotic and
depth dependent conversion point calculations. Select Bin Analysis-Converted Waves again.
Set the Vp/Vs ratio back to 2.0. This time select the Specify Depth radio button and set the
depth to 1000.0. Press OK when you are finished.

9. The Design Window now shows the locations of the CCPs using the depth-dependent
algorithm.

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Compare the scatter of these conversion points with the outline of the scatter using the
asymptotic algorithm and a Vp/Vs = 2.0. It should be obvious that for a shallow reflector, the
conversion points are much closer to the receivers using the depth dependent algorithm than
using the asymptotic algorithm. In fact, the locations of the conversion points using the depth
dependent algorithm are actually closer to the results of the asymptotic algorithm using a Vp/Vs =
4.0.

Once again, for reference, open the annotation toolbar (Display-Annotations) and draw a polygon
around the conversion point area. Select Display-Annotations a second time to close the
annotation toolbar.

10. Select Bin Analysis-Converted Waves and change the depth of the reflector to 3000. Leave
the Vp/Vs = 2.0 and press OK. The Design Window will update with the new positions of the
conversion points.

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Note that with the deeper reflector, the positions of the conversion points are now much closer to
the conversion point region using the asymptotic calculation. However, if you use the
Range/Bearing tool to measure the distance between the corner of the asymptotic region and the
corner of the depth dependent region, you will find that there is still a difference of about 150 feet
between the locations. This is a large enough difference to affect the fold calculations.

As an exercise, return to Bin Analysis-Converted Waves and change the depth of the reflector
until you get a satisfactory match with the asymptotic algorithm. Try the same experiment with
using a Vp/Vs = 4.0.

The take-away point from this section of the exercise is that both Vp/Vs and depth play a role in
the location of the conversion points. If your target is sufficiently deep, either algorithm should
provide a satisfactory answer. For shallow targets, the depth dependent algorithm is preferable.
So why provide both methods in MESA? The asymptotic algorithm is more common in the
industry and in some processing systems it may be the only method available for binning
conversion points. The depth dependent tool allows you to analyze the possible ramifications of
this difference.

11. Turn off the annotations. Select Display-Annotations to open the annotation toolbar. Press
the Display Annotations toggle button to hide the annotations. Select Display-Annotations a
second time to close the toolbar.

12. In the next phases of this exercise, we will demonstrate how to directly compare CMP and
CCP bin attributes. Define a bin grid with 25 x 25 foot bins.

13. Select Bin Analysis-Converted Waves and uncheck the Use Converted Wave Midpoints
checkbox. Press OK to close the dialog box.

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14. Select Bin Analysis-Fold Calculation. Select the Fold, Offsets, and Azimuths radio button.
Check the Named Fold Calculation checkbox and name the calculation p-wave.

Press Ok. After the fold calculation completes, display the fold in the Design Window. You
should see a single fold region centered on the intersection of the lines.

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15. Select Bin Analysis-Converted Waves. Check the Use Converted Wave Midpoints checkbox.
Set the Vp/Vs = 2.0. Select the Specify Depth radio button and set the depth to 3000.0.
Press OK when you are finished.

16. Select Bin Analysis-Fold Calculation. Select the Fold, Offsets, and Azimuths radio button.
Check the Named Fold Calculation checkbox and name the calculation converted-wave.
Press OK when you are finished (you may get prompted to close the bin plotsselect Close).

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17. Display the converted wave fold. Since the natural bin size for the PS conversion points is
different than the natural bin size for the CMPs, you should see a distribution of bins with
zero, one, or two fold.

18. To directly compare the difference between the CMP and CCP fold distribution, select Bin
Analysis-Fold Compare. In the Compare drop-down list, select convertedwave. In the To

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 drop-down list, select p-wave. In the Calc name edit box, type fold difference. Press OK
when you are finished.

19. Display the fold difference in the Design Window. Open the Color Scale Settings and change
the scale to a Discrete Range color scale with a minimum of -1 and a maximum of 3 (5
levels). An example is shown below.

The plot should highlight the coverage differences between CMP and CCP (using a depth of
3000) when using the same binning grid. By comparing the differences in the fold maps, you may
be able to converge on design parameters (i.e. line spacings) which produce optimal coverage for
both PP and PS data.

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20. If you have the freedom to use a different binning grid for the PS data, how do you choose
the appropriate grid sizes? First, display the CCP scatter. Make sure that you still have the
CCP radio button selected in the Midpoint Scatter Options (refer back to step 5 in this
exercise). Also, make sure that in Bin Analysis-Converted Waves you still have the Use
Converted Wave Midpoints checkbox selected, the Vp/Vs set to 2.0, and have a Specified
Depth of 3000.

21. Zoom in tightly on the CCP scatter. Use the Range/Bearing tool to measure the inline and
crossline distances between the CCPs. Near the intersection of the source and receiver line,
the measurement tool shows (roughly) an inline separation of 33.33 ft and a crossline
separation of 16.66 ft.

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Clear all of the Range/Bearing symbols (do this from the drop down menu) and exit
Range/Bearing mode by pressing the toggle button.

22. Define a new bin grid with an inline bin size of 33.33 and a crossline size of 16.66. Center
the bin grid around the conversion points near the intersection of the source and receiver line.

23. Perform a fold calculation. Select Fold, Offsets, and Azimuths. You can uncheck the Named
Fold Calculation checkbox and simply store the results as the default calculation. Display the
results in the Design Window.

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As you can see, the converted wave fold coverage is now much more consistent when using an
appropriate bin grid. There are a few stripes of zero fold in the coverage map since the
conversion point spacing is not constant when using the depth dependent algorithm (spacing
changes with increasing offset). As an exercise, go back to the converted wave options and
select the asymptotic algorithm. Re-do the fold calculation. You will be able to get a uniform
single fold map using this algorithm.

24. Save your database. The single_cross survey will be used in Part II of the converted wave
exercise.

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EXERCISE #5 -- Converted Waves (Part II)
This exercise continues with the examination of converted wave tools from Exercise #4.

1. With the single_cross survey already loaded in MESA, launch Model Builder from the Expert
menu. Define a model space with the following parameters.

2. Press the Manual Entry button to define a single cross section (west to east) across the
model space. Add points with coordinates (-1000, 0) and (6000, 0). Name the cross section
CrossSection1.

3. Press the Horizon View button so you can begin defining the horizon layers. We are going to
make a simple model with two dipping horizons. Press the New Horizon button. Use the
default name (Horizon1). Click the mouse just outside the left edge of the box at a depth
near -2000 feet. Click the mouse just outside the right edge of the box a depth near -1000
feet.

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4. Press the New Horizon button again. Use the default name (Horizon2). Click the mouse just
outside the left edge of the box at a depth near -4000 feet. Click the mouse just outside the
right edge of the box a depth near -2000 feet.

5. Press the Model Grid button and select Gridding from the drop down menu. Select all three
horizons from the list box (Top, Horizon1, Horizon2). Set the grid increment to 50.0 (this is
the Inc. (dx=dy) edit box).

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Now select only the Top horizon from the list. From the Grid Method drop down list, select
Model Extent.

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Select Horizon1 and Horizon2 from the list. From the Grid Method drop down list, select 2.5D.

Press OK to grid the model.

6. Press the Velocity View button. You should see a model with two dipping horizons but
without a defined velocity structure.

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Select Top Horizon1 from the list box. Enter a Vp = 4000 ft/s. Enter a Vs = 2000 ft/s. Let the
rest of the values default.

Select Horizon1 Horizon2 from the list box. Enter a Vp = 9000 ft/s. Enter a Vs = 3000 ft/s.
Let the rest of the values default.

Select Horizon2 Bottom from the list box. Enter a Vp = 12000 ft/s. Enter a Vs = 6600 ft/s. Let
the rest of the values default.

7. As a final check, select Display-3D Window to view your model. If the model looks correct,
save the model as single_cross and exit Model Builder.

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8. Launch the Enhanced Raytracer (either directly or from the Expert menu in MESA). Select
Raytracing-Parameterize. Load the model single_cross.gmf. Load the geometry
single_cross.mas (depending on how you launched the raytracer, these files may already be
loaded).

Press the Output Database button and name the file single_cross_enhanced. Select the
Create New Database radio button.

Press the Parameterize button. Select the P-P Waves and P-SV Waves checkboxes. Make
sure both horizons are selected from the Select Interface(s) list box. Press OK when you are
finished (refer to the following diagram for all settings).

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9. The setup dialog box should now report that the project is Parameterized for Execution.
Press the Trace Rays button.

When raytracing is completed for all 100 sources, exit the Enhanced Raytracer.

10. Before you can use models or raytracing results in MESA, the files must be explicitly loaded.
Even though the model may already be loaded, select Expert-Load Model File and select

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 single_cross.gmf. When the raytracing was performed, the results for the p-p and p-s
raytracing was written into separate files. Select Expert-Load Offset Ray File and select
single_cross_enhanced_pp.odb. We will deal with the p-s data momentarily.

11. Press the Expert Attribute button on the toolbar in the Design Window.

When the Expert Attributes Manager window appears, press the Create Offset Ray Attributes
button. In the Calculate Raytracing Attributes dialog box, select the radio button to Calculate All
Attributes. Name the attribute set pp_horizon1. Check Save CRP Fold to Named Fold
Calculation and name the calculation CRP Fold-pp1. From the Target Horizon drop down list,
select Horizon 1. Refer to the following diagram.

Press OK to calculate the attributes using the pp reflections from Horizon 1. An attribute set
named pp_horizon1 will appear in the Expert Attributes Manager list box.

12. Press the Create Offset Ray Attributes button again. In the Calculate Raytracing Attributes
dialog box, select the radio button to Calculate All Attributes. Name the attribute set
pp_horizon2. Check Save CRP Fold to Named Fold Calculation and name the calculation
CRP Fold-pp2. From the Target Horizon drop down list, select Horizon 2. Refer to the
following diagram.

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Press OK to calculate the attributes using the pp reflections from Horizon 2. An attribute set
named pp_horizon2 will appear in the Expert Attributes Manager list.

13. Press the OK button to close the Expert Attributes Manager window. Select Expert-Load
Offset Ray File from the menu. Open the file single_cross_enhanced_ps.odb. This file
contains the results of the converted wave (p-s) raytracing.

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14. Open the Expert Attributes Manager again. We are now going to create attribute sets for the
first and second horizons using the converted wave data. Press the Create Offset Ray
Attributes button. In the Calculate Raytracing Attributes dialog box, select the radio button to
Calculate All Attributes. Name the attribute set ps_horizon1. Check Save CRP Fold to
Named Fold Calculation and name the calculation CRP Fold-ps1. From the Target Horizon
drop down list, select Horizon 1. Press OK to calculate the attributes using the ps
reflections from Horizon 1. An attribute set named ps_horizon1 will appear in the Expert
Attributes Manager list. Repeat the process to create ps attributes for Horizon 2. Refer to the
following diagrams to get the parameterizations correct.

15. There are now four sets of raytracing attributes in the list box. Select pp_horizon1. Select
CRP Fold from the set of radio buttons in the Display group box.

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If the CRP Fold for Horizon 1 is not already visible in the Design Window, press the Expert
Attributes toggle button on the Design Window toolbar. You should see the CRP Fold map.

As expected, the reflection points have migrated up-dip for our model and we no longer have a
symmetrical, uniform single-fold square centered on the intersection of the source line and
receiver line.

16. Select the pp_horizon2 from the list box. The display will be updated with the CRP Fold
map for Horizon 2.

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The reflection points have migrated even farther up-dip for the second horizon.

17. Select the ps_horizon1 from the list box. The display will be updated with the CRP Fold
map for Horizon 1 using the converted wave raytracing.

Note that the distribution of conversion points is similar to the distribution using the depth
dependent conversion algorithm (exercise 4, step 9). The differences are due to the conversion
points migrating up-dip and the difference in depth from the west side of the model to the east
side of the model.

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18. Select the ps_horizon2 from the list box. The display will be updated with the CRP Fold
map for Horizon 2 using the converted wave raytracing.

19. Take a moment to examine some of the other displays for the four attribute sets. For
example, select attribute set ps_horizon2 and choose Two-way Travel Time. You should
see the following display.

Note: There is one caveat as you examine the attributes for the converted wave raytracing. Both
CMP to CRP Displacement and CMP to CRP Azimuth show the difference between the CMP
location and the conversion point calculated from raytracing. These attributes do not show the

75
difference from the depth dependent (or asymptotic), flat-Earth conversion point position
calculated in MESA and conversion point calculated from raytracing.

20. Toggle off the display of the Expert Attributes. Select Bin Analysis-Fold Selection. In the
dialog box, you will see a list of all the fold calculations you have saved.

Select CRP Fold-ps1 from the list and press OK. This will load the fold calculation information
for the converted wave raytracing (horizon 1) into the standard fold, offset, and azimuth plots.
Press the toggle button to display Fold in the Design Window.

As expected, this should replicate the CRP Fold map that we saw for Horizon 1 when viewing
attributes through the Expert Attributes Manager.

21. Select any of the standard bin attribute diagrams for analysis of your converted wave results.
For example, the following diagram shows the near offset plot based on the converted wave
raytracing from Horizon 1.

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22. In the next step in this exercise, we will view the raypaths in the 3D Window. Select Display-
3D Window. Press the Scene Information button in the lower left corner of the 3D Window.

Select the Offset Rays tab and select Horizon2 from the list.

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Select the Sources tab and select source 10001 from the top of the list.

You should now see the converted wave paths for Horizon 2 for this source point. The rays are
color-coded by offset.

Experiment for a few moments by selecting different source points. You can also return to the
Offset Rays tab and select Horizon 1. The list boxes for selecting the source points and horizons
are multi-select if you wish to display the rays for more than one source or for both horizons
simultaneously.

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23. As a final step for this exercise, we will review creating synthetic traces. Select Advisor-
Gather Window. The Gather Display Window will open. From the drop menu of the Display
Expert Synthetic Gather toggle button, select Expert Synthetic Parameters.

In the Expert Synthetic Parameters dialog box, select a Ricker wavelet from the drop down list of
Wavelet Types. Uncheck the checkboxes four all types of Noise Events. Make sure that both
Horizon1 and Horizon2 are selected from the Horizons list box. Refer to the follow diagram for
the settings.

24. Choose Select Source from the drop down menu.

This action will bring the Design Window to the front. Select the northernmost source point in the
survey by clicking on it with the mouse. The synthetic gather for this source point will be loaded.

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Since we turned off all of the noise events, only the converted wave reflections for the two
horizons appear on the gather.

25. For more information on creating synthetic shot gathers or creating bin gathers, refer back to
step 20 of exercise 1.

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EXERCISE #6 -- Smart Aperture Tool
This exercise will review the building of models from external gridded surfaces and demonstrate
how the Smart Aperture tool can be used to determine the extents of your survey design.

1. Launch MESA. From the Expert Menu, select Expert-Launch Model Builder to start the
model building application (if a prompt comes up asking you to Save current changes?,
answer No.

2. In Model Builder, select File-New Model. Dimension the model as shown in the following
diagram. The units should be Feet. The model should be a 20000 foot square with a depth
of 3500 feet. Press OK when you are finished.

3. We are going to import horizons to make the model, but you still need a single cross section
defined across the model. Press Manual Entry and define the endpoints of the cross section
as (0,10000) and (20000,10000).

Accept the default name of CrossSection1. The window should look as shown in the following
diagram.

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4. Select Import-Horizon from the main menu. This will open the Import Horizon dialog box. We
will be importing an ASCII file containing two gridded horizons. Press the ASCII button.

The ASCII Import Window will appear. (Note: We will not discuss the details of importing ASCII
files here. Refer back to exercise five of the MESA Training Manual for more information on the
operation of the ASCII Import Window.)

5. Open the file sask_maple_creek.txt.

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There is one line of header information, so mark line 2 as the first data line for importing. Select
Horizon Name from the list box and highlight columns 1-12. Define this field as a String.
Columns 2, 3, and 4 in this file are X Coordinate, Y Coordinate, and Z Coordinate respectively.
Define each of these fields as FLOAT. The maximum width of xy-coordinate column is the value
20000.00, so make sure you pad the column width appropriately. The maximum width of the z-
coordinate is -3100.00.

After you have defined the four fields for importing, press the GO button. You will be prompted
(twice) for a grid interval. Enter a value of 100.0 each time.

6. You should see the following diagram in the Horizon View.

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Select Gridding from the drop down menu of the Model Grid button. In the Gridding dialog box,
select the Top horizon. Select Model Extent from the Grid Method drop down list and press OK.

Select Gridding from the drop down menu of the Model Grid button a second time. In the
Gridding dialog box, select both White_Shale and Medicine_Hat from the horizon list. Select
Resample from the Grid Method drop down list and press OK.

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7. Press the Velocity View button to complete the model. Enter the following p-wave velocities
and let the rest of the parameters default:

Top-White Shale: 4500 ft/sec

White Shale-Medicine Hat: 7500 ft/sec
Medicine Hat-Bottom: 9000 ft/sec

8. Save the model as sask_maple_creek.gmf. Select Display-3D Window to view your model.

Exit Model builder and return to MESA.

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9. From the Expert Menu in MESA, select Expert-Load Model File. Open
sask_maple_creek.gmf. From the drop down menu of the contour display toggle button,
select Display CYR from Model.

This interface allows you to select a horizon from your model and display it as a contour map in
the Design Window. Select Medicine_Hat from the list box and press OK.

The contour map will now display in the Design Window (press the full unzoom button to refresh
the display). Go back to the drop down menu for the contour display toggle button and select
Options. Set the Start Elevation to -3000 and press OK.

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10. The Smart Aperture tool is used to shoot a cone of rays from a point on your model to the
surface. This exploding-reflector raytracing can be used to determine the migration aperture
required for your survey to image your target. Select Expert-Smart Aperture Tool from the
main menu. A toolbar will be added to bottom of the Design Window.

11. The important first step in using the Smart Aperture tool is to choose the correct horizon from
which to shoot the rays. The contour map being displayed is just for referenceit has no
functional tie to the Smart Aperture tool whatsoever. If you are using the contour map for
reference, make sure you are currently displaying the proper horizon. In this case, we are
displaying the Medicine_Hat horizon from the model. Select Medicine_Hat from the horizon
list on the Smart Aperture toolbar as well.

The standard rule of thumb for migration aperture is to capture 30 degree rays from the
reflector. This is the default setting in MESA. Press the Options button on the toolbar to
bring up the following dialog box.

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 The Smart Aperture raytracer shoots a cone of rays from each point you select on the
subsurface horizon. If you wish to shoot with an angle other than 30 degrees, change the
setting for Maximum Incidence Angle. By default, the azimuthal angle between rays in the
cone is 2 degrees, which produces 180 rays per target. It is rare that you will ever need to
change these default values. Press OK to close the dialog.

12. Zoom in slightly on the primary structure on the map. Press the Add Point Target button.
When you click on a point on the map, the local dip is calculated. A cone of rays with an
incidence angle of 30 degrees on the dipping horizon is shot to the surface. Refer to the
following diagram.

For each target you select, a dot displays the location of the target and an oval is drawn around
the surface emergence points of the 180 rays traced. The oval represents the migration aperture
required to properly image the selected point. If you select a location on the model with little to no
dip, the emergence points will form a circle centered on the target. If you select a location on a

88
steeply dipping flank of a structure, the emergence points will be skewed relative to the target
location.

13. If you wish to see the full-fold area required to properly migrate all of the target locations you
have selected, press the Create Aperture Hull button.

A convex hull encompassing all of the emergence points will be drawn.

Press the Clear button to remove all of the targets and the aperture hull.

14. Instead of defining individual target points for shooting rays, a more common use of the
Smart Aperture tool is to define a target region. In this example, the objective of the seismic
survey is to image the NW flank of the prominent structure. Press the Add Polygonal Target
button. Click out a polygon that follows the (-2200) foot contour line as show in the following
diagram. A point target will be created at each grid node along the perimeter of the polygon.
A cone of rays will be shot from each of these targets and an aperture hull will be created that
encompasses the emergence points of all the rays. The area of this hull represents the full-
fold area your survey will need to properly image this target.

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15. Press the Save to Exclusion file button. Select the Polygonal Target Regions checkbox.
Select the Save to External Exclusion File radio button. Press the File button and name the
file sask_maple_creek.xcl.

16. Press the Save Smart Rays button. Save the rays to a file named sask_maple_creek.srd.
Close the Smart Aperture tool by selecting Expert-Smart Aperture Tool from the main menu.

17. Open the exclusion toolbar by selecting Edit Exclusions from the drop down menu of the
Exclusion Zone display toggle button. Press the Read Exclusion File button.

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Open sask_maple_creek.xcl. You should see the smart aperture polygon in the list box. Press
OK.

Select Edit Exclusions from the drop down menu to close the exclusion editing toolbar.

18. The last step in the exercise is to create a survey which properly fills the full-fold region for
imaging the objective. Select Layout-Unit Template. Set a grid size of 25.0 feet. Create a
unit template using the parameters in the following diagram.

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Press the Shoot button. The Unit Template has a feature for filling regions with sources and
receivers. Select the Fill Polygon radio button. By default, the Layer should be set to Smart Apt
Selection Polygon and the Zone should be set to Polygon 1. In the Clipping group box, select
Clip Fold to Bounds. Also, select the Use Full Template checkbox. Refer to the following diagram
for the settings.

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Press OK. This will create a survey that fills the smart aperture polygon with full-fold with the
appropriate taper zone.

19. Calculate fold for the survey and display the results. The following diagram shows that the
smart aperture region is filled with 48 fold.

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Save the survey as sask_maple_creek.

20. You can view Smart Aperture raypaths in the 3D Window. Select Expert-Load Smart Aperture
Ray File. Open sask_maple_creek.srd. Select Display-3D Window. Press the Scene
Information button. Select the Smart Rays tab. Select Medicine_Hat from the list box and
press OK.

The cone of rays from each of the perimeter target points will be displayed.

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95