Fresnel volume migration of multicomponent data

If the aperture of a seismic reflection experiment is strongly limited, Kirchhoff migration suffers from strong artifacts attributable to incomplete summation. This can be overcome by restricting the migration operator to the region that physically contributes to a reflection event. Examples of such limited-aperture experiments include data acquisition in boreholes, tunnels, and mines. We present an extension to three-component (3C) Kirchhoff prestack depth migration, where the migration operator is restricted to the Fresnel volume of the specular reflected raypath. We use the measured polarization direction at a 3C receiver to determine points of specular reflection. In homogeneous media, the polarization angle of 3C data can be used directly to decide whether a certain image point belongs to the Fresnel volume of a specular reflection. In heterogeneous media, the Fresnel volume around an image point is approximated by means of paraxial ray tracing. The method is tested on a synthetic vertical seismic profiling experiment with strongly limited aperture. Migration artifacts and crosstalk effects from converted waves are strongly reduced compared with standard migration schemes. The method is successfully applied to seismic data acquired in a tunnel.

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