F-x linear prediction filtering of seismic images

Mark Paul Harrison

The f-x linear prediction filtering algorithm is reviewed and tested on several synthetic images. It is found that the f-x filter, when applied to noise-free synthetics, produces little or no attenuation of continuous layers, but does laterally smear sharp discontinuities. On noisy synthetic images, numerical measurements indicate that the f-x filter performs better at attenuating random noise than does the f-k filter. The f-x filter, however, produces greater lateral smearing of discontinuities than does the f-k filter. The residual noise after f-x filtering still appears fairly random, and the filter does not give rise to the same type of coherent "streaks" that a severe f-k filter is seen to create. In addition, the f-x filter is able to extract the signal without any guidance from the user, whereas an f-k dip reject filter must be manually selected, usually after inspection of a f-k spectrum plot. The f-x filter, however, is not able to discriminate between coherent noise with large dip and true events. Application of the f-x filter to an actual seismic image produces good results, and no attenuation of coherent signal is seen to occur.