3D Tomographic Velocity Estimation with Offset/Angle Image Gathers

D-29 3D TOMOGRAPHIC VELOCITY ESTIMATION WITH OFFSET/ANGLE IMAGE GATHERS 1 Z. MENG N.D. WHITMORE C.D. CHUN P.A. VALASEK and S.M. COOK Subsurface Imaging and Prediction ConocoPhillips Inc. 600 N. Dairy Ashford Houston TX 77079 USA Abstract Accurate subsurface velocity estimation is crucial in seismic exploration especially for prestack depth migration depth conversion and geopressure prediction. 3D reflection tomography is the most accurate method available for velocity estimation. The challenge that we face is in designing an accurate tomographic system that is capable of efficiently handling large volumes of seismic data acquired over increasingly complex targets. To address this need we