Theory of Seismic Imaging

Book excerpt: Seismic imaging methods are currently used to produce images of the Earth's subsurface properties at diverse length scales, from high-resolution, near-surface environmental studies for oil and gas exploration to long-period images of the entire planet. This book presents the physical and mathematical basis of imaging algorithms in the context of controlled-source reflection seismology. The approach taken is motivated by physical optics and theoretical seismology. The theory is constantly put into practice via a graded sequence of computer exercises using the widely available SU (Seismic Unix) software package.