• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.232-240
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• 2017

Normal moveout correction is one of the main procedures of seismic reflection data processing and a crucial pre-processing step for AVO analysis. Unfortunately, stretch phenomenon, which is the intrinsic problem of NMO correction, degrades the quality of stack section and reliability of AVO analysis. Although muting is applied to resolve this problem, it makes far-offset traces more useful to develop an advanced NMO correction technique without stretch. In this paper, easy and detailed explanations are provided on the definition and methodology of NMO correction, and then the cause of stretch is explained with its characteristics. A graphical explanation for NMO correction is given for the intuitive understanding of stretch phenomenon. Additionally, the theoretical formulation is derived to quantitatively understand the NMO correction. Through explaining the muting process to remove NMO stretch, the limitations of conventional methods are investigated and the need for a new resolution comes to discussion. We describe a stretch-free NMO correction based on inverse theory among many different stretch-free NMO corrections. Finally, the stretch-free NMO correction is verified through synthetic example and real data.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.133-144
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• 2001

An effective seismic reflection technique for mapping the cavities and bedrock surface in carbonate rocks is described. The high resolution seismic reflection images were successfully registered by using the hydrophones employed in the stream-water driven trench, and were effectively focused by applying optimal data processing sequences. The strategy included enhancement of the signal interfered with the large-amplitude scattering noise, through pre- and post stack processing such as time-variant filtering, bad-trace editing, residual statics, velocity analysis, and careful muting after NMO (normal moveout) correction. The major reflections including the bedrock surface were mapped with the desired resolution and were correlated to the seismic crosshole tomographic data. Shallow major reflectors could be identified and analyzed on the AGC (auto gain control)-applied field records. Three subhorizontal layers were identified with their distinct velocities; overburden (<3000 m/s), sediments (3000-4000 m/s), limestone bedrock (>4000 m/s). Taking into account of no diffraction effects in the field records, gravel-rich overburdens and sediments are considered to be well sorted. Based on the images mapped consistently on the whole survey line and seismic velocity increasing with depth, this area probably lacks in sizable cavities (if any, no air-filled cavities).

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.465-473
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• 2018

The application of singular value decomposition (SVD) filtering is examined for attenuation of the ground-roll in land seismic data. Prior to the SVD computation to seek singular values containing the highly correlatable reflection energy, processing steps such as automatic gain control, elevation and refraction statics, NMO correction, and residual statics are performed to enhance the horizontal correlationships and continuities of reflections. Optimal parameters of SVD filtering are effectively chosen with diagnostic display of inverse NMO (INMO) corrected CSP (common shot point) gather. On the field data with dispersion of ground-roll overwhelmed, continuities of reflection events are much improved by SVD filtering than f-k filtering by eliminating the ground-roll with preserving the low-frequency reflections. This is well explained in the average amplitude spectra of the f-k and SVD filtered data. The reflectors including horizontal layer of the reservoir are much clearer on the stack section, with laminated events by SVD filtering and subsequent processing steps of spiking deconvolution and time-variant spectral whitening.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 2020

The acquisition and processing of long-offset data are essential for imaging deep geological structures in marine seismic surveys. It is challenging to derive an accurate subsurface image by employing conventional data processing to long-offset data owing to the normal moveout (NMO) stretch and non-hyperbolic moveout phenomena induced by seismic anisotropy. In 2017, the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources conducted a simultaneous two-dimensional multichannel streamer and ocean-bottom seismic survey using a 5.7-km streamer and an ocean-bottom seismometer to identify the deep geological structure of the Ulleung Basin. Herein, the actual geological subsurface structure was obtained via the sequential iterative updating of the velocity and anisotropic parameters of the long-offset data obtained using a multichannel streamer, and anisotropic prestack Kirchhoff migration was performed using the updated velocity and anisotropic parameters as input parameters. As a result, the reflection energy in the long-offset traces, which showed non-hyperbolic moveout owing to seismic anisotropy, was well aligned horizontally and NMO stretches were also reduced. Thus, a more precise and accurate migrated image was obtained, minimizing the distortion of reflectors and mispositioned reflection energy.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.16 no.2 s.48
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• pp.161-169
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• 2006

A short seismic reflection survey was performed to map the basement and the upper units in the Gomso Bay. This research was mainly aimed at clarifying the basement by improving the signal-to-noise ratio in data processing steps. The strategies employed in this research included enhancement of the signal interfered with large-amplitude noise, through pre- and post-stack processing such as time-variant filtering, bad trace edit, careful muting after f-k filter and NMO correction. The subsurface structure mapped from this survey mainly consists of the top of basement and the upper three units, which were well correlated to the result from the previously conducted MT survey. Furthermore seismic section clarifies approximately 30m deep subhorizontal event of the top of the basement, which was not shown in the central portion of the MT section due to data qualify.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2016

Two representative residual static methods of traveltime decomposition and stack-power maximization are discussed in terms of application to land seismic data. For the model data with synthetic shot/receiver statics (time shift) applied and random noises added, continuities of reflection event are much improved by stack-power maximization method, resulting the derived time-shifts approximately equal to the synthetic statics. Optimal parameters (maximum allowable shift, correlation window, iteration number) for residual statics are effectively chosen with diagnostic displays of CSP (common shot point) stack and CRP (common receiver point) stack as well as CMP gather. In addition to removal of long-wavelength time shift by refraction statics, prior to residual statics, processing steps of f-k filter, predictive deconvolution and time variant spectral whitening are employed to attenuate noises and thereby to minimize the error during the correlation process. The reflectors including horizontal layer of reservoir are more clearly shown in the variable-density section through repicking the velocities after residual statics and inverse NMO correction.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.495-502
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• 1999

Common-mid-point (CMP) seismic data on a dipping layer have have a stacking different from a horizontal layer velocity and the reflection points on data are dispersed to many positions. Therefore, the CMP data are not stacked well by the conventional stacking method using the horizontal layer velocity. The CMP gather can ideally stacked by applying dip-moveout(DMO) processing. Hence, modern seismic processing indludes DMO as an essential routine step. DMO processing techniques are broadly categorized by two, Fourier transform and integral methods, each of which has many different computational schemes. In this study, the dip-decomposition technique of the Fourier transform method is used to test the DMO effect on the synthetic scismic data generated for dipping structures. Each of constnat offset sections NMO corrected by using the layer velocity of the model and DMO processed. The resulting zero-offset sections for many offsets are stacked. The stacked sections with DMO processing show the structural boundaries of the models much better than those without DMO processing.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2010

The goal of automatic velocity analysis is to extract accurate velocity from voluminous seismic data with efficiency. In this study, we developed an efficient automatic velocity analysis algorithm by using bootstrapped differential semblance (BDS) and Monte Carlo inversion. To estimate more accurate results from automatic velocity analysis, the algorithm we have developed uses BDS, which provides a higher velocity resolution than conventional semblance, as a coherency estimator. In addition, our proposed automatic velocity analysis module is performed with a conditional initial velocity determination step that leads to enhanced efficiency in running time of the module. A new optional root mean square (RMS) velocity constraint, which prevents picking false peaks, is used. The developed automatic velocity analysis module was tested on a synthetic dataset and a marine field dataset from the East Sea, Korea. The stacked sections made using velocity results from our algorithm showed coherent events and improved the quality of the normal moveout-correction result. Moreover, since our algorithm finds interval velocity ($\nu_{int}$) first with interval velocity constraints and then calculates a RMS velocity function from the interval velocity, we can estimate geologically reasonable interval velocities. Boundaries of interval velocities also match well with reflection events in the common midpoint stacked sections.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.26-32
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• 1999

Among the various seismic data processing sequences, the velocity analysis is the most time consuming and man-hour intensive processing steps. For the production seismic data processing, a good velocity analysis tool as well as the high performance computer is required. The tool must give fast and accurate velocity analysis. There are two different approches in the velocity analysis, batch and interactive. In the batch processing, a velocity plot is made at every analysis point. Generally, the plot consisted of a semblance contour, super gather, and a stack pannel. The interpreter chooses the velocity function by analyzing the velocity plot. The technique is highly dependent on the interpreters skill and requires human efforts. As the high speed graphic workstations are becoming more popular, various interactive velocity analysis programs are developed. Although, the programs enabled faster picking of the velocity nodes using mouse, the main improvement of these programs is simply the replacement of the paper plot by the graphic screen. The velocity spectrum is highly sensitive to the presence of the noise, especially the coherent noise often found in the shallow region of the marine seismic data. For the accurate velocity analysis, these noise must be removed before the spectrum is computed. Also, the velocity analysis must be carried out by carefully choosing the location of the analysis point and accuarate computation of the spectrum. The analyzed velocity function must be verified by the mute and stack, and the sequence must be repeated most time. Therefore an iterative, interactive, and unified velocity analysis tool is highly required. An interactive velocity analysis program, xva(X-Window based Velocity Analysis) was invented. The program handles all processes required in the velocity analysis such as composing the super gather, computing the velocity spectrum, NMO correction, mute, and stack. Most of the parameter changes give the final stack via a few mouse clicks thereby enabling the iterative and interactive processing. A simple trace indexing scheme is introduced and a program to nike the index of the Geobit seismic disk file was invented. The index is used to reference the original input, i.e., CDP sort, directly A transformation techinique of the mute function between the T-X domain and NMOC domain is introduced and adopted to the program. The result of the transform is simliar to the remove-NMO technique in suppressing the shallow noise such as direct wave and refracted wave. However, it has two improvements, i.e., no interpolation error and very high speed computing time. By the introduction of the technique, the mute times can be easily designed from the NMOC domain and applied to the super gather in the T-X domain, thereby producing more accurate velocity spectrum interactively. The xva program consists of 28 files, 12,029 lines, 34,990 words and 304,073 characters. The program references Geobit utility libraries and can be installed under Geobit preinstalled environment. The program runs on X-Window/Motif environment. The program menu is designed according to the Motif style guide. A brief usage of the program has been discussed. The program allows fast and accurate seismic velocity analysis, which is necessary computing the AVO (Amplitude Versus Offset) based DHI (Direct Hydrocarn Indicator), and making the high quality seismic sections.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.45-56
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• 1999

Seismic refracrion and reflection surveys were conducted along an E-W trending track of 482 m long in Ilwall-dong, Pohang. End-on spread was employed as source-receiver configuration with 2 m for both geophone interval and offset. Seismic data were acquired using 24 channels at every shot fired every 2 m along the track. Refraction data were interpreted using equations for multi-horizontal layers. Reflection data were processed in the sequence of trace edit, gain control, CMP sorting, NMO correction, mute, common offset gathering, and filtering to produce a single fold seismic section. There are two layers in shallow subsurface of the study area. Upper layer has the P-wave velocities ranging from 267 to 566 m/s and is interpreted as a layer of unconsolidated sediments. Lower layer has P-wave velocities of 1096-3108 m/s and is interpreted as weathered rock to hard rock. Most of the lower layer classified as soft rock. Upper layer has lateral variations in both P-wave velocity and thickness. The upper layer in the eastern part of the seismic line is 3-5 m thick and has P-wave velocity of 400 m/s in average. The upper layer in the western part is 8-10 m thick and has P-wave velocity of 340 m/s in average. The eastern part is interpreted as unconsolidated beach sand, while the western part is interpreted as infilled soil to develop a construction site. Three fault systems of high angle are imaged in seismic reflection section. It is interpreted that the area between these fault systems are relatively safe. Large buildings should be located in the safe ground condition of no fault and footings should be designed to be in the basement rock of 3-10 m deep below the surface.