Least-Squares Migration for Seismic Imaging Enhancement

This technical report presents a study on least-squares migration (LSM) and its applications in the Buzios field, a significant pre-salt hydrocarbon reservoir in Brazil's Santos Basin. The report outlines the challenges faced in seismic imaging due to complex salt structures, which impair signal quality and resolution. It details how LSM improves subsalt imaging by stabilizing pre-stack seismic amplitudes and enhancing illumination across a broader range of angles. These improvements lead to better characterization of reservoir properties and reveal structural details that were previously unobserved. The study validates LSM's effectiveness through a comparison with conventional migration techniques, demonstrating a closer match to well data and enhanced amplitude-versus-angle (AVA) response. Furthermore, the report discusses the successful application of LSM in other reservoirs with complex overburden and salt geometries, highlighting its potential to reduce exploration uncertainty. The findings advocate for LSM's adoption as a standard procedure in modern seismic data processing workflows.