3 dimensional imaging of hard structure without the use of ionizing radiation

A method of imaging multicomponent seismic data to obtain depth images of the object's subsurface structures, comprising the steps of:

• a) beam forming the multicomponent seismic data into sets of plane wave seismograms;
• b) partitioning the plane wave seismograms into sets of compressional and shear wavefield seismograms;
• c) forming time-dependent reflectivity functions from the sets of compressional and shear wavefield seismograms;
• and
• d) migrating the time-dependent reflectivity functions to obtain depth images of the object's subsurface structures.

A method for imaging the object's subsurface structures, comprising the steps of:

• a) collecting a set of multicomponent seismic data with seismic sources having at least one linearly independent line of action and receivers having at least two linearly independent lines of action;
• b) sorting the set of multicomponent seismic data into incident angle ordered gathers;
• c) partitioning the incident angle ordered gathers of the set of multicomponent seismic data into compressional and shear wavefields;
• and
• d) migrating the compressional and shear wavefields to obtain a depth image of the object's subsurface structures.

A method for imaging the object's subsurface structures, comprising the

• a) collecting a set of multicomponent seismic data;
• b) partitioning the set of multicomponent seismic data so as to separate and decouple compressional and shear wavefield potentials in the set of multicomponent seismic data;
• c) iteratively migrating the separated and decoupled compressional and shear wavefields for a plurality of assumed compressional and shear interval velocities;
• and
• d) selecting from the plurality of assumed compressional and shear wave and shear interval velocities, the compressional interval velocities which produce coherent migrated wavefields.