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Title: Three-component seismic data: researcher's toy or interpreter's tool

Conference · · AAPG Bull.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6633938

Three-component seismic data have been recorded, analyzed, and studied by research groups for the last 10 years. However, the cost of acquisition and the difficulty in tying the P-wave reflections to the S-wave reflections have made three-component data nearly useless to the interpreter. Instead of solving interpretation problems, three-component data added a whole new set without providing any answers. These problems will be solved through the help of two recent developments: the three-component geophone with polarization filter (OMNIPHONE) and three-component amplitude-vs-offset (AVO) analysis. The OMNIPHONE can eliminate the need for geophone arrays by removing ground roll from the data without affecting the body waves. Waveform distortions caused by geophone arrays are attenuated, allowing for recovery of a greater bandwidth of signal. The OMNIPHONE also sends all three signal components to the recorder on a single channel in a format compatible with current field systems. The need for three channels per geophone station is thereby eliminated. Because three-component data can be recorded with fewer geophones and recording channels, field operations using OMNIPHONES are more efficient and less expensive than when using conventional three-component geophones. Three-component (AVO) analysis can provide the interpreter with a tie between the P-wave, S-wave, and converted-wave reflections, as well as a means of calculating corresponding velocities. Current technology calls for stacking the S-wave data with the converted-wave data. However, AVO analysis identifies the S-wave and converted-wave portions of the radial gather, thus providing the processor with the information necessary to produce stacked S-wave and converted-wave sections of superior quality.

Research Organization:
Terra Linda Group Inc., San Anselmo, CA (USA)
OSTI ID:
6633938
Report Number(s):
CONF-8804144-
Journal Information:
AAPG Bull.; (United States), Vol. 72:3; Conference: AAPG SEPM-SEG Pacific Section and SPWLA annual convention, Santa Barbara, CA, USA, 17 Apr 1988
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English