Processing method for marine seismic surveying utilizing dual streamers

Abstract

A processing method is disclosed for marine seismic surveying which utilizes two vertically spaced marine streamers each having a plurality of seismic detectors contained therein. A seismic energy source positioned at or near the surface of a body of water is utilized to generate seismic waves which propagate into earth formations below the water and reflect back up to be detected at each streamer. Seismic waves also reflect from the water/air interface back down toward the streamers and must be separated from the upgoing seismic waves to enhance the accuracy of the resultant trace. The seismic waves detected at two selected vertically displaced seismic detectors are combined to form a sum signal which is then combined with a scaled time integral of a difference signal to form a resultant signal which preserves either the upgoing or downgoing seismic waves. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sum signal and the integral signal are both filtered to remove DC bias and low frequency components prior to the combination. Additionally, the time integral of the difference signal is preferably scaled by balancing the power therein with the power in the sum signal, thereby automatically adjusting for variations in detector spacing which may occur. In one embodiment of the present invention, the upgoing signal and downgoing signal are time shifted and combined to maximize the resultant signal-to-noise ratio.