Velocity Model Building and Depth Imaging Challenges – Red Sea 2D Marine Case Study

Saudi Aramco acquired an extensive 2D marine seismic program in the Saudi Arabian portion of the Red Sea during 2007 and 2008. Acquisition utilized a 10 km long solid streamer cable with 816 active hydrophone channels spaced 12.5 meters apart and towed at a 10 meter depth. Shots were taken every 25 meters using an airgun array comprising 25 guns and a total array volume of 4060 cubic inches at a tow depth of 7 meters. This survey was part of an initial exploration phase, and is being used to find leads for 3D acquisition. The geology in the region can change rapidly from younger sediments to complex non-homogeneous salt bodies, anhydrites, limestones, and igneous rocks. We present the challenges encountered in processing a large (20,000 km) 2D dataset through prestack depth migration (PreSDM), and techniques used to generate the depth images within the project timeline.