Abstract: In the present inventive method, individual traces of seismic data are migrated (41) without any assembling of different midpoints or any summing of different offsets, so that post-migration processing or analysis, e.g. trace alignment, may be applied to the individual migrated traces (42) to compensate for any deficiencies among them, before stack and assembly. Thus, the present invention fully separates the steps of migration (41), assembly (43), and stacking (44), which are combined together in traditional migration. Thus, imaging deficiencies can be measured and addressed in the image space before they are obscured by summation. Afterward, summation can proceed to construct the improved final image (45).

Abstract: In the present inventive method, individual traces of seismic data are migrated (41) without any assembling of different midpoints or any summing of different offsets, so that post-migration processing or analysis, e.g. trace alignment, may be applied to the individual migrated traces (42) to compensate for any deficiencies among them, before stack and assembly. Thus, the present invention fully separates the steps of migration (41), assembly (43), and stacking (44), which are combined together in traditional migration. Thus, imaging deficiencies can be measured and addressed in the image space before they are obscured by summation. Afterward, summation can proceed to construct the improved final image (45).

Abstract: A method for identifying and suppressing water column reverberations (“multiple reflections”) in two-component ocean bottom seismic data is disclosed. The method involves processing the hydrophone (P) data and the geophone (Z) data separately to produce two stacked images of the subsurface (21). Analyzing the stacked P-image and the stacked Z-image together can be used to identify multiple reflections (22). Analyzing the stacked /?-image and the stacked Z-image together with an image of the subsurface created from hydrophone and geophone data combined in the usual way (PZ-image) (20) can be used to identify residual multiples in the PZ image (23). The stacked P and Z images can be combined using an existing PZ combination technique to suppress multiples (24). The efficiency of the PZ combination technique at suppressing multiples is increased because of the higher signal-to-noise ratio of stacked data.

Abstract: A method for identifying and suppressing water column reverberations (“multiple reflections”) in two-component ocean bottom seismic data is disclosed. The method involves processing the hydrophone (P) data and the geophone (Z) data separately to produce two stacked images of the subsurface. Analyzing the stacked P-image and the stacked Z-image together can be used to identify multiple reflections. Analyzing the stacked P-image and the stacked Z-image together with an image of the subsurface created from hydrophone and geophone data combined in the usual way (PZ-image) can be used to identify residual multiples in the PZ image. The stacked P and Z images can be combined using an existing PZ combination technique to suppress multiples. The efficiency of the PZ combination technique at suppressing multiples is increased because of the higher signal-to-noise ratio of stacked data.

Abstract: Method for controlling the phase spectrum of seismic data to match assumptions inherent in subsequent processing steps. The source signature, after processing with the same initial processing steps used on the data, is used to design a phase control filter that shapes the seismic data to have a minimum phase spectrum or whatever other phase spectrum the subsequent processing algorithms may assume. The processed data is then filtered with a second phase-control filter, also designed using the parallel-processed signature, to shape the data to zero phase or whatever other phase may be desired for interpretation of the data.

Abstract: Method for controlling the phase spectrum of seismic data to match assumptions inherent in subsequent processing steps. The source signature, after processing with the same initial processing steps used on the data, is used to design a phase control filter that shapes the seismic data to have a minimum phase spectrum or whatever other phase spectrum the subsequent processing algorithms may assume. The processed data is then filtered with a second phase-control filter, also designed using the parallel-processed signature, to shape the data to zero phase or whatever other phase may be desired for interpretation of the data.

Abstract: The invention is a method for attenuating noise in seismic data traces, in which at least a portion of the noise is noncoherent in the common-shot domain but coherent in the common-receiver domain, the coherent noise having a move-out velocity different from the move-out velocity of the data signal in the seismic data traces. The method comprises sorting the seismic data traces into common-receiver order and using the difference in move-out velocities to separate the coherent noise from the data seismic signal. This method is useful in suppressing noise in two and four-component ocean bottom cable data.

Abstract: The invention is a method for attenuating noise in seismic data traces, in which at least a portion of the noise is noncoherent in the common-shot domain but coherent in the common-receiver domain, the coherent noise having a move-out velocity different from the move-out velocity of the data signal in the seismic data traces. The method comprises sorting the seismic data traces into common-receiver order and using the difference in move-out velocities to separate the coherent noise from the data seismic signal. This method is useful in suppressing noise in two and four-component ocean bottom cable data.