POSTSTACK DATUMING

In this paper, the basic strategy for finding a datuming operator is that of first formulating a forward modeling operator and then deriving the corresponding datuming operator by transposing and taking the complex conjugate of the forward modeling operator. For poststack or zero offset sections, the forward modeling is an algorithm that extrapolates the wavefield upward from a flat surface to an irregular surface by the one-way wave equation using half the velocity of the medium. The modeling algorithm is derived so that it can be used with any depth extrapolation technique, including the phase-shift, split-step Fourier, and finite-difference methods.