Reverse-Time

Migration
Geol 757
Advanced Seismic Imaging
and Tomography

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 References
 Paul Sava and Stephen J. Hill, Tutorial: Overview
and classification of wavefield seismic imaging
methods: The Leading Edge, February 2009, v.
28, p. 170-183, doi:10.1190/1.3086052.
 Edip Baysal, Dan D. Kosloff, and John W. C.
Sherwood, Reverse time migration: Geophysics, v.
48, no. 11 (Nov. 1983), p. 1514-1524.
 Matthew H. Karazincir and Clive M. Gerrard,
Explicit high-order reverse time pre-stack depth
migration: Expanded Abstracts, Soc. Explor.
Geophys. New Orleans 2006 Annual Meeting, p.
2353-2357.

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 From Sava & Hill, 2009
 What defines a WE migration?
 Classification based on:
 Assumptions of algorithms
 Domain of implementation
 Imaging Principle

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 WEM Classifications
 Single Scattering – no multiples in data
 Born approximation
 Wave-Equation Solutions – acoustic forward modeling
 Not Kirchhoff summation
 The acoustic equation cannot get close to Zoeppritz
 Not full-wave inversion

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 WEM Classifications
 Imaging and Wavefield Reconstruction
 Shot record migration – sequential,
independent
 Survey-sinking migration - simultaneous

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 WEM Classifications
 Implementations in
Sava & Hill:
 Shot record, 2-way in
time, time domain
 Shot record, 1-way in
depth, frequency
domain
 Survey-sinking, 1-way
in depth, frequency
domain

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 The Wavefield
 2D world
 Constant velocity
 Impulse source
 at t=0
 at z=0
 red dot

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 The Wavefield
 Constant-depth
slices
 Hyperbolas
 Diffractions

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 The Wavefield
 Constant-time
slices
 Semicircles
 Wave
propagation

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 Migration
 Migration =
Wavefield
continuation +
Imaging
condition
 Continuation of
full multi-
dimensional
wavefields

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 Migration
 Two different
imaging conditions:
1. Shot record,
sequential imaging
2. Survey-sinking,
simultaneous
imaging

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Shot Record, Sequential Imaging
 Constant velocity
 Examine:
 Data
 Wavefields
 Image
 At:
 Source
 Receiver

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Shot Record, Sequential Imaging (a)
 Model that generates  2D Survey in x:
data:  Split spread
 Flat reflector above  Look at one shot
 Dipping reflector below record

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Shot Record, Sequential Imaging (b)
 Fire impulsive source:  Shot gather data:
 t=0  Two reflections
 z=0
 Impulsive waves

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Shot Record, Sequential Imaging (c)
 Source impulse data:  Data at source,
 Single red impulse just like receiver
 t=0, z=0 data

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Shot Record, Sequential Imaging (d)
 Exploding reflectors:  Cones in const.-V
 From t=0 at recorded
 Blue = horizontal depth point
 Green = dipping

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Shot Record, Sequential Imaging (e)
 Source radiation:  From t=0
 Wavefield cone  From source x

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Shot Record, Sequential Imaging (f & g)
 Imaging condition – Ws-R-Wr model:
 Scatterer exists at the spatial coordinate (x and z) that
contains coincident, nonzero wavefield amplitudes in both
the source and the receiver wavefields

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Shot Record, Sequential Imaging (f & g)
 Imaging condition – Ws-R-Wr model:
 Reflectors exist where incident and reflected
wavefields are coincident in time and space

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Shot Record, Sequential Imaging (f & g)
 Imaging condition – Ws-R-Wr model:
 Ws and Wr coincide (nonzero) at some time t
 Doesn’t matter what t it was - only the coincidence

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Shot Record, Sequential Imaging (h)
 (g) Ws(t) contains one nonzero value (red) at (x*, z*)
 (f) Wr(t) has two non-0 values (blue, green) at (x*, z*)

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Shot Record, Sequential Imaging (h)
 This (x*, z*) is on upper reflector
 Ws(t) • Wr(t) gives non-0 at reflector

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Shot Record, Sequential Imaging (h)
 Post nonzero Ws(t) • Wr(t) at (x*, z*) in (x, z)
image
 Correlate at other (x, z) points and post their
nonzero amplitudes
 Add in migrated sections for other shot gathers

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 Shot Record, Sequential Imaging
 Ws-R-Wr model, Berkhout (1982)
 Need the source and scattered wavefields
 Source wavefield carries energy to the
reflector
 Scattered wavefield carries energy away from
the reflector
 For 2D data, the wavefields are 3D
 W(x, z, t)
 For 3D data, the wavefields are 4D
 W(x, y, z, t)
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 Sequential Imaging Needs
1. Wavefield reconstruction that generates
the source and scattered wavefields, WS
and Wr, at all locations in space x, z and all
times t from data recorded at the surface,
and
2. An imaging condition that extracts
reflectivity information, i.e. the image I, from
the reconstructed source and scattered
wavefields WS and Wr.

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 Imaging Principle
 Single-scattering assumption
 The incident and scattered wavefields are
identical at the scatterer, except for:
 The reflection coefficient.
 Kinematically accurate- timing & structure
 Dynamically inaccurate- poor R,
impedance, AVO
 Scattering cannot change wave phase.
 If there are multiples, the cross-correlated
amplitude will be too high.
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 Wavefield Reconstruction
 Velocity Model
 Must be known a priori.
 In a smooth-velocity area, uncertainty will not
prevent imaging.
 In the presence of strong lateral velocity
contrasts, their complete characterization is
essential.
 Code the velocity model into a procedure for
generating wavefields from sources.

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 Wavefield Reconstruction
 Generating the Source Wavefield Ws
 Simulate each shot gather’s source, forward in
time from its true position.
 Generating the Receiver Wavefield Wr
 Simulate each shot gather trace’s receiver
position as a virtual source, at that receiver’s true
position.
 Feed each receiver’s recorded data into each
receiver “source,” as a source time function.
 Produces a “reversed time” wavefield from the
data, projecting recorded amplitudes back onto
the scatterers.

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 Wavefield Reconstruction
 Successful wavefield reconstruction relies
on the single-scattering assumption for
seismic imaging, i.e.,
 Recorded wavefields have scattered only
once in the subsurface (there are no multiples
in the data), and
 No scattering occurs in the process of
wavefield reconstruction.
 Full-wave modeling methods may not work
well, since they always implement
scattering with propagation.
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 Wavefield Reconstruction
 One-way Paraxial wave-propagation
modeling will work well, since it cannot
create reflections. Paraxial is also faster.
 Two-way modeling procedures can work
so long as they do not introduce scattering
– downward continuation, WKBJ ray
tracing, deterministic traveltimes, etc.
 Any modeling method capable of handling
lateral variations will introduce scattering.
 More reasons RTM is kinematic, not
dynamic
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 Wavefield Reconstruction Axis
 Depth marching
 Downward continuation
 Paraxial wavefield
extrapolation in the
frequency domain
 Time marching
 Reverse-time migration
with acoustic finite-
difference modeling in the
time domain

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 Extended Imaging Conditions
 Zero-lag, h=0 cross-correlation:

 Space and time shifts λx, λy, λz, τ:

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 Extended Imaging Conditions
 Create a multidimensional image
 I(x, y, z, λx, λy, λz, τ)
 Try amplitude-vs.-angle analysis
 Determine wavefield reconstruction error
 from very approximate wavefield
reconstructions (one-way, low-order)
 from velocity error
 from multiples in the data
 from problems with acquisition coverage
 from incomplete subsurface illumination
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Marmousi Model

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Marmousi Model

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Marmousi Model

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