Generalized cross-dip moveout correction of crooked 2D seismic reflection surveys

Abstract

In hard rock settings, reflection seismic surveys are often acquired on crooked roadways. Acquisition geometry-related noise resulting from these crooked profiles obscures the final image in places where there are crossline dipping reflectors. This noise can be prevented with cross-dip moveout (CDMO) corrections. The conventional practice is to apply corrections on straight processing lines; however, this aggravates reflection duplication and stretching artifacts. We have adopted an efficient method for CDMO correction that operates on any common midpoint (CMP) binning geometry. Our method suppresses reflection duplication in high-fold CMP bins. The strike and dip of the reflectors are decomposed into two horizontal orthogonal components and input into a 3D traveltime equation. Using a synthetic model, a processing workflow was developed to locally apply these generalized CDMO corrections. This workflow was then applied to a seismic profile acquired over the Larder-Lake Cadillac Deformation Zone in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt, Canada. The final processed seismic image showed an increased coherency of reflections rendering them more compatible with the known surface geology of the study area.