A Systematic Broadband Processing Approach of Full-Azimuth Slanted-Cable Data in the Green Canyon Area of the Gulf Of Me

Summary Due to extremely complex overburdens, especially in the presence of salt body geometries, imaging subsalt hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Green Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico requires full-azimuth, long-offset, and broadband seismic data acquisition. Such an integrated approach to seismic acquisition provides enhanced illumination coverage and an improved imaging of the subsurface. Herein, we present our advanced and systematic approach to further improve broadband imaging. This approach aims to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio and useable bandwidth of the acquired shot gathers and, therefore, the resultant seismic image. This logical approach maximizes our ability to leverage the information available in the full-azimuth data not only in the imaging step but also during the velocity model building stages. The results show significant improvement in noise and multiple attenuation, multi-azimuth tomography results in both pre- and post-salt sediments, and salt geometry definition. Consequently, we observed improvements in the resolution and signal-to-noise ratio of the image of the subsalt primary targets.