A seismic processing technique has been developed to remotely determine the effective layer velocity and layer depth of a multilayered ocean floor. The computer algorithm making up the seismic signal processor is based on the Kirchhoff diffraction integral and is referred to as the inverse diffraction processor (IDP). An iterative solution for the effective interval velocity and layer depth is obtained with the use of the Fourier transform. The required input data to the processor are the measured magnitude of the reflected acoustic signal recorded by an array of hydrophones located on the ocean surface. The performance of the seismic processor has been evaluated using synthetic seismic data. This insures that the actual parameters being solved for are known, thus the accuracy and resolution of the processor can be ascertained.