Multiple Prediction By Wavefield Extrapolation In Common-P Domain

Wavefield extrapolation (WFE) multiple prediction typically operates in common shot domain, and is very effective to predict complex multiples such as diffracted multiples; however, it is a model-based and relatively expensive approach. In this paper, we present a new WFE multiple prediction algorithm which operates in common-P domain. This new algorithm is able to very efficiently predict source-side multiples, and less model-dependent; therefore enables its usage in the early stage of processing. In this paper, we first perform some analysis of two types of diffracted multiples : 1) source-side diffracted multiples and 2) receiver-side diffracted multiple. With the new insight of source-side diffracted multiples, we have developed a new algorithm to predict source-side multiples. This new algorithm for source-side multiple prediction is a variant of WFE approach, but almost model independent. Testing on both synthetic and field data demonstrates the effectiveness of the new multiple prediction method.