Imaging of complex basin structures with the common reflection surface (CRS) stack method

Abstract

S U M M A R YCommon reflection surface (CRS) stack technology is applied to seismic data from certain areas of the Donbas Foldbelt, Ukraine, after conventional seismic methods gave unsatisfactory results. On the conventionally processed post-stack migrated section the areas of interest already showed clear features of the basin structure, but reflector continuity and image quality were poor. It was our objective to improve the image quality in these areas to better support the geological interpretation and the model building.In contrast to the standard common mid-point (CMP) stack, in which a stacking trajectory is used, the CRS method transforms pre-processed multicoverage data into a zero-offset section by summing along stacking surfaces. The stacking operator is an approximation of the reflection response of a curved interface in an inhomogeneous medium. The primary advantage of the data-driven CRS stack method is its model independence and the enhancement of the signal-tonoise ratio of the stacked sections through a stacking reflection response along traces from more than one CMP gather. The presented results show that the multifold strength of the CRS stack is of particular advantage in the case of complex inverted features of Devonian-Carboniferous sediments in the Donbas Foldbelt data. We observe that in these areas where the confidence level for picking and interpretation of the stacking velocity model is low, imaging without a macrovelocity model gives improved results, because errors due to wrong or poor stacking velocity models are avoided.

New seismic images of the Central Indian Suture Zone and their tectonic implications

“…The CRS stack method is an alternative to the classical normal moveout (NMO), dip moveout (DMO), and stacking technique [ Menyoli et al ., ]. Unlike the CMP method, this method uses a stacking operator that locally describes the response of a reflector in a laterally inhomogeneous medium and does not depend on the interpretation of a stacking velocity model as used in CDP processing [ Mann et al ., ].…”

The Hecataeus Rise, easternmost Mediterranean: A structural record of Miocene-Quaternary convergence and incipient continent-continent-collision at the African-Anatolian plate boundary

“…In order to obtain high-quality seismic images, we produced common reflection surface (CRS) stacks for all available seismic profiles. The CRS-stacking routine has previously performed well in improving the signal-to-noise ratio compared to conventional CMP stacked sections (Menyoli et al, 2004;Yoon et al, 2008;Baykulov et al, 2009). For details on the CRSworkflow, the reader is referred to Mann et al (1999) andJ€ ager et al (2001).…”

Common Reflection Surface Stack Imaging of the Proterozoic Chambal Valley Vindhyan Basin and Its Boundary Fault in the Northwest India: Constraints on Crustal Evolution and Basin Formation

“…The CRS stacking method does not calculate a macrovelocity model, and velocity analysis is not required. It is very useful in thrust-fold belt areas where deriving a stacking velocity model is difficult (Jäger et al, 2001;Mann et al, 1999;Menyoli et al, 2004;Zhang et al, 2001). It is a powerful imaging technique as its stacking process depends on three CRS parameters, namely, radii of curvature of the normal incident point (R NIP ), the normal wave (R N ), and emergence angle α, whereas the CMP stacking is mostly controlled by the stacking velocity.…”

“…However, only a few applications are also found in the crustal structure and tectonics studies (e.g. Mandal et al, 2014, Mandal et al, 2013, Menyoli et al, 2004, Yoon et al, 2009).…”