FLARING METHODOLOGIES FOR MARINE SEISMIC DATA ACQUISITION

A method of determining an optimal flare spacing for streamers towed behind a seismic vessel comprising the steps of: using a computer specially adapted with a seismic data analysis package to analyze prior seismic data for a survey area; analyzing migration broadcast patterns to estimate a maximum sampling distance; calculating a wavelet expansion as a function of flare spacing; creating synthetic gaps in the prior seismic data coverage by dropping traces at different flare spacing; testing capability of different interpolation algorithms in the seismic data analysis package to close the synthetic gaps; and determining an optimal flare spacing based upon the capability of the different interpolation algorithms to close the synthetic gaps.