Contributions of the Horizontal OBN Components to P-wave Imaging

What is it about?

Recent advances in elastic imaging have renewed interest in using horizontal-displacement data alongside traditional vertical and pressure data, especially for PS-waves. However, the horizontal data also captures P-wave energy (HPP data), and its impact on elastic P-wave imaging is less understood. This study examines HPP behavior using two standard synthetic datasets. We found that HPP data improves imaging in areas where vertical data struggles—like shallow dips and sub-salt stratigraphy. We use common offset images to reveal the unique HPP illumination and polarization sensitivity to survey design and subsurface complexity --- motivating a need for strategic handling/processing.

Featured Image

Photo by Pablo García Saldaña on Unsplash

Photo by Pablo García Saldaña on Unsplash

Why is it important?

In ocean bottom surveys, we record both horizontal and vertical ground motion, along with pressure data. Traditionally, only the vertical and pressure data have been used to create images of the subsurface. This is now changing, driven by the growing feasibility of elastic imaging, which depends on using the full wavefield recorded on all components of ocean bottom node (OBN) data. Importantly, the horizontal-displacement data is already acquired as part of standard surveys—at no additional cost—yet it remains underutilized in P-wave imaging. Studying the sensitivity of each component (pressure, vertical (Z), and horizontal (H)) to different wave types is a crucial first step in understanding both the advantages and limitations of using multi-component (MC) data in elastic workflows. By better understanding what the H-component contributes, we can make more informed decisions about how to use all available data to improve image quality and reduce interpretation uncertainty.