Multiconverted reflections in marine environments

Taiwen Chen, Donald C. Lawton

Physical and numerical seismic modeling for multiconverted reflections was undertaken in order to better understand the characteristics of multiconverted reflections for field data from the Canadian Beaufort Sea. Results from seismic modeling suggest that wide-angle, multiconverted events hold promise for imaging reflectors beneath shallow high-velocity layers in marine environments. The multiconverted reflection amplitudes rely strongly on the S-wave velocity in the high-velocity layer, and on the P-wave velocity of the imaged layer. However, the P-wave velocity, the thickness, and the depth of the high-velocity layer do not contribute significantly to multiconverted reflection amplitudes. In the Canadian Beaufort Sea, better imaging for layers underlying the ice-bearing permafrost (high-velocity near surface layer) can be obtained when the multiconverted reflections are considered.