Mitigating Structural Uncertainty: Early Insights from OBN FWI Imaging - A Santos Basin Case Study

Full Waveform Inversion (FWI) yields high-fidelity velocity models for enhanced seismic imaging
in complex geological settings. FWI-Derived Reflectivity (FDR) offers rapid subsurface reflectivity reconstruction with improved illumination and turnaround over conventional methods. In structurally complex areas, high-quality seismic data are crucial for FWI. Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) data—characterized by rich low-frequency content, long offsets, and broad azimuth coverage—significantly enhances the resolving power of Full Waveform Inversion (FWI) for building accurate velocity models. The resulting FDR images exhibit higher resolution and
improved illumination, providing clearer imaging and reduced structural uncertainty compared to
Multi-Azimuth (MAZ) datasets, and enabling more reliable geological interpretation. This Santos
Basin case study highlights a significant reduction in structural uncertainty by integrating OBN
data with an FWI imaging workflow.