Reconstruction of borehole radar images by a modified f–k migration

Abstract

SUMMARY Borehole radar (BHR) is an effective imaging tool. It can be used to detect and map faults, fractures, folds, domes, partings and mine workings. Most BHRs have azimuthally omnidirectional radiation patterns. The echoes sensed by such BHRs may come from any direction. Considering a radar in a straight borehole that passes through a stack of flat reflection planes, V-shaped events or crosses appear on the time section. One of the arms of each cross is a real image while the other is an ambiguity of known origin. Directional ambiguities such as these obstruct efforts to interpret the data. In this paper, we address this difficulty by using a modified f–k migration algorithm to translate crosses into lines on the final section that are consistent with a priori information about for example bedding. Compared with conventional strategies, for example migration + f–k dip filter, this approach integrates the two separated processes into one and is straightforward, computationally effective and simple to implement. The method is demonstrated using a synthetic model and a real BHR field data set. It allows the interpreter to use a priori information about fault swarms or plausible bedding planes at an early stage. The reconstructed BHR image helps the search for geological anomalies such as fractures, partings, domes and rolls that could be a hazard for mining.