The suppression of multiples in marine seismic reflection data : a review of processing algorithms

Abstract

Reflection seismology is the most used exploration technique in offshore areas. The technique provides an image of the earth in terms of acoustic energy reflected from discontinuities in the subsurface. The release of acoustic energy in the water column invariably gives rise to reverberations and multiples as the acoustic energy keeps bouncing to and fro between the seabed and the water surface. The interference of this multiple energy with the primary reflections originating from the discontinuities makes the subsurface image less readily interpretable and processing techniques are employed on the data to remove this multiple energy. This dissertation gives an account of the problem, reviews the historic developments of remedial measures, and describes in detail the various techniques used today to remove these multiples. Seismic reflection data from offshore Malta is also used to illustrate the application and compares the effectiveness of the various techniques. Multiple removal techniques were carried out on data obtained from offshore Malta on a Line 11 OB in 1980, from the Malta Oil Exploration Department.