Effective Stress Compensation

Technique for improving subsalt event continuity

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Improves image quality below salt

The presence of salt can result in a decrease in density of the sedimentary layers underneath it, and with it a change in effective stress. Because effective stress is functionally related to seismic velocity, these changes perturb the velocity field used for depth migration and can result in a degradation of the subsalt image.

Our effective stress compensation technique translates changes in subsalt density and effective stress to a residual velocity field below a salt body. This provides an updated velocity model for depth imaging, delivering improved image quality for increased confidence in positioning subsalt features.

Subsalt velocity model update using ESC.
Effective stress compensation (ESC) perturbs the velocity model below salt bodies, resulting in an image with improved subsalt event continuity and more accurate positioning in depth.