A Full-waveform, Migration-based Deconvolution Approach to Locating Micro-seismic Events

We present a new approach to generating 3D location maps for micro-seismic events from 3-component data. The method combines full-waveform vector migration with an imaging condition based on semblance-weighted deconvolution. The semblance-weighted deconvolution keys in on the signal-to-noise conditions of the data to give a high-resolution, low-noise estimate of the locations for the micro-seimic sources. As the method requires no explicit time picking or event association, it is well suited to be run as an either fully-automated or a semi-automated process. Almost as a by-product, the method provides a natural measure of the uncertainty associated with the locations of the individual micro-earthquakes.