A Brief History of Seismic Migration

J. Bee Bednar

January 22, 2006

Abstract:

In this article, I attempt to focus on the chronology of seismic imaging. I start in the mid 1920's, progress through the human "computer" based methods of the 1940's and 1950's discuss the emergence of digital wave-equation technology in the 1960's and early 1970's, and finally end with a review of the present. I include a bit of speculation about the future of seismic imaging, but hopefully the meat of the article is on seismic-imaging history.

Based on the timing of their publications, I claim that there are three key contributors to the theoretical developments of modern seismic imaging. The first is Rieber 1936a (); 1937b (); 1936b (); 1937a (), the second is Hagedoorn 1954 (), and the third is Claerbout 1971 (); 1972 (). I must of course note that none of these were the first to consider the seismic imaging problem, but their papers and algorithms have probably been quoted more often than anyone else. One certainly must give credit to Dix 1952 () and Slotnick 1959 () for similar contributions as well. Without direct reference, other names that come to mind include Hans Sattlegger in Germany, A. J. Berkhout in Holland, Bill Schneider at GSI in Dallas, and Robert Stolt at CONOCO in Ponca City, OK. However, without the independent computational progression predicted by Moore's law, the spectacular subsurface images produced today would not be possible. I hope to convince the reader that in addition to the development of the vast literature on seismic imaging theory there is another less publicized parallel technological progression focused on the development of efficient machines to produce, with minimal human intervention, an increasingly more accurate image of the strata below the recording instruments. Unfortunately, with a few key exceptions, the names of many of the contributors to this aspect of seismic imaging have been lost. The digital revolution in the 1960's appears to be the culmination of this attempt at mechanization, but it wasn't until the development of truly powerful scientific computers that the more accurate and advanced theoretical developments in seismic imaging theory became practical to apply and use in the search for diminishing supplies of hydrocarbons. In fact, one can argue that we still do not have sufficient computer power to do everything we need and want to do. But, then, that's another story.