Time to Depth Seismic Reprocessing of Vintage Data: a Case Study in the Otranto Channel (South Adriatic Sea)

In this chapter, we present a case study focused on the reprocessing of marine seismic line MS-29, acquired in 1971 in the Otranto Channel, in the South Adriatic Sea (Italy). This line crosses the channel between South Italy and Albania, a key location for understanding the geodynamics of the North Adria Plate. The work is divided into two steps. The first step consists of a modern broadband processing sequence in the time domain that allowed us to overcome low fold problems inherent in vintage data and to obtain a pre-stack time migration seismic section. The second step focused on velocity model building and pre-stack depth migration to obtain an accurate image of the subsurface. We followed a specific workflow that uses the coherence inversion technique and both layer-based and grid tomography to achieve a reliable velocity model. The reprocessing enhances the imaging of the vintage data, allowing new insight into the geological interpretation of the Otranto Channel.