A full-waveform inversion case study from offshore Gabon

We applied full waveform inversion to a seismic dataset from offshore Gabon. This dataset features complex geology such as diapirism, shallow gas pockets and dewatering faults. We show the results on a large production-size swath from an advanced full waveform inversion method based on the L-BFGS optimization algorithm. The updated velocity model highlights an uplift in resolution and a consistency with the geological features observed in the depth migrated stack. The benefits include identifying features and faults in the overburden and improved top-salt characterization. These result in better imaging in both the post- and pre-salt regions, as well as a velocity model than can be used to aid the geological interpretation.