Extrapolation of seismic land streamer data using interferometry

Land streamer seismic acquisition is increasingly adopted for near-surface geophysical applications due to its operational efficiency and mobility. However, the short source-receiver offsets and weak coupling inherent in land streamer systems limit their penetration depth and imaging resolution. In this study, we introduce a method to virtually extend the land streamer’s data acquisition aperture without additional hardware or field deployment, which we call Land Streamer Extrapolated Supervirtual Interferometry (LS-ESVI) method. The technique builds on seismic interferometry principles and combines cross-correlation, convolution, deconvolution, and optional iterative processing to extrapolate first-arrival traveltimes beyond the physical spread. We implement LS-ESVI in a traveltime-based formulation, enabling computationally efficient integration into shallow imaging workflows. The method is validated on synthetic models with varying complexity and a real field dataset acquired near Dammam City, Saudi Arabia. Results show that LS-ESVI can reliably reconstruct far-offset traveltimes with high accuracy; in the field example, 86% of extrapolated arrivals deviated by less than 4 ms (one fourth of the period for 60 Hz data), well within the Rayleigh resolution limit. The LS-ESVI framework provides a data-driven, scalable solution for enhancing the spatial coverage and resolution of land streamer surveys, enabling deeper and higher-fidelity seismic imaging for engineering, environmental, and geotechnical applications.