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The influence of lateral variations on seismic refraction interpretation

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Abstract

The effects of unsuspected lateral variation in seismic velocities at depth on the interpretation of a seismic refraction profile are discussed with the aid of a numerical experiment. The results show that there will be bias in any velocity depth models derived by travel time analysis based on the assumption of horizontally layered media. This bias is examined for a lithospheric profile using both extremal and linearised travel time inversion. In addition quite mild subsurvace topography can have an appreciable effect on the amplitude distribution along the profile.

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Kennett, B.L.N. The influence of lateral variations on seismic refraction interpretation. PAGEOPH 114, 647–652 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00875658

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