Shear‐wave tailored moveout corrections to improve multicomponent reflection seismic imaging

Abstract Advancements in technologies and acquisition techniques in reflection seismology have increased the quantity of data that can be recorded in a single survey. The spreading of three‐component (3C) recorders has resulted in multicomponent data acquisitions to be more cost‐effective than single‐component (1C) acquisitions, making 3C datasets more common. Therefore, the need for processing workflows aiming to enhance S‐wave from P‐wave‐designed acquisitions is increasing. As part of a larger survey for geological carbon storage site investigations, a 1‐km‐long seismic profile was acquired near the city of Randers in Denmark and is considered in this study. The acquisition setup consisted of two vertical vibrating sources, operating every 10 m, recorded simultaneously from a 1C nodal array, 10 m spaced and a landstreamer system, equipped with 60 3C micro‐electro‐mechanical sensors in 2 m intervals. Analysis of the 3C data recorded from the landstreamer system shows PP‐, PS‐ and SS‐wavefield reflections from a shallow horizon nearly 50 m below the ground surface. Although the PP‐wavefield data processing was straightforward, the SS‐wavefield imaging was challenged by strong surface waves recorded in the data, thus requiring a tailored workflow for its processing. The workflow employs a reflection‐picked moveout correction specifically designed on the observed reflections with respect to the data acquisition geometry. Results demonstrate that this tailored method is effective, yielding improved continuity of the SS‐wavefield reflectivity with respect to the traditional normal moveout corrections. P‐ and S‐wave interval velocity models are estimated in depth, and their ratio is computed to complement the geological interpretations of the shallow subsurface. Similar imaging scenarios can benefit from the proposed method to sharpen SS‐wavefield reflections in stacked section.