Multi-offset acoustic inversion of a laterally invariant medium: Application to real data
- IKU Petroleum Research, Trondheim (Norway)
- Societe Metallurgique, Noumea (New Caledonia)
The aim of seismic inversion methods is to obtain quantitative information on the subsurface properties from seismic measurements. However, the potential accuracy of such methods depends strongly on the physical correctness of the mathematical equations used to model the propagation of the seismic waves. In general, the most accurate models involve the full non-linear acoustic or elastic wave equations. Inversion algorithms based on these equations are very CPU intensive. The application of such an algorithm on a real marine CMP gather is demonstrated. The earth model is assumed to be laterally invariant and only acoustic wave phenomena are modeled. A complete acoustic earth model (P-wave velocity and reflectivity as functions of vertical traveltime) is estimated. The inversion algorithm assumes that the seismic waves propagate in 2D. Therefore, an exact method for transforming the real data from 3D to 2D is derived and applied to the data. The time function of the source is estimated from a vertical far-field signature and its applicability is demonstrated by comparing synthetic and real water-bottom reflection. In order to speed up the convergence of the algorithm, the following inversion strategy is adopted: an initial smooth velocity model (macromodel) is obtained by applying Dix's equation to the result of a classical velocity analysis, followed by a smoothing operation. The initial reflectivity model is then computed using Garder's empirical relationship between densities and velocities. In a first inversion step, reflectivity is estimated from small-offset data, keeping the velocity model fixed. In a second step, the initial smooth velocity model, and possibly the reflectivity model, is refined by using larger-offset data.
- OSTI ID:
- 6121014
- Journal Information:
- Geophysical Prospecting; (United States), Vol. 41:5; ISSN 0016-8025
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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