On horizontal resolution for seismic acquisition geometries in complex 3D media

•We define WML and RMT to quantitatively represent the horizontal resolutions.•WML defines the horizontal resolution, and RMT describes the clarity of imaging.•Different parameters of spatial sampling have different impacts on the resolution.•Case studies show that prior WML and RMT analyses can optimize acquisition geometries.

Spatial sampling has a crucial influence on the horizontal resolution of seismic imaging, but how to quantify the influence is still controversial especially in complex media. Most of the studies on horizontal resolution focus on the measurement of wavelet widths for seismic migration, but neglect to evaluate the effect of side-lobe perturbations on spatial resolution. The side-lobe effect, as a migration noise, is important for seismic imaging in complex media. In this article, with focal beam analysis, we define two parameters to represent the horizontal resolution of an acquisition geometry: the width of the main lobe (WML) along the inline and crossline directions and the ratio of the main-lobe amplitude to the total amplitude (RMT) in a focal beam. We provide examples of typical acquisition geometries to show how spatial sampling affects the horizontal resolution, measured in terms of WML and RMT values. WML defines the horizontal resolution to image the target, whereas RMT describes the clarity of the imaging. Migration noise reduces with increasing RMT, indirectly improving both the vertical and horizontal resolutions of seismic imaging. Case studies of seismic migration with 3D seismic data from an oil field of China, demonstrate how the acquisition geometries with different WML and RMT values influence the performance of seismic imaging. Prior WML and RMT analyses to predict the quality of acquired datasets can optimize acquisition geometries before the implementation of seismic acquisition.