Abstract
The travel time inversion of wide-angle seismic data is a technique commonly used in the deep seismic sounding. We propose an application of this technique to a smaller scale of a sedimentary layer, where the characteristics of seismic observations changes significantly. Field observations confirmed by synthetic analysis recognize the dominant amplitudes of wide-angle post-critical reflections. A case study is presented in this paper, of a joint interpretation of conventional reflection seismic with reflection imaging, combined with the wide-angle travel time inversion of additional full-spread observations. A joint interpretation results in a precise recognition of the seismic velocity distribution, that is further used for the seismic depth conversion with the uncertainty analysis of the depth of the reflecting horizons. Despite the salt layer in the studied structure this method is able to precisely recognize the seismic velocities of the sub-salt structures.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bishop T., Bude K., Cutler E., Langan R., Love P., Resinick J., Shuey R., Spindler D. and Wyld H., 1985. Tomographic determination of velocity and depth in laterally varying media. Geophysics, 50, 903–923.
Boehm G., Carcione J.M. and Vesnaver A., 1996. Reflection tomography versus stacking velocity analysis. J. Appl. Geophys., 35, 1–13.
Carrion P., 1991, Dual tomography for imaging complex structures, Geophysics, 56, 1395–1404.
Carrion P., Böhm G., Marchetti A., Pettenari F. and Vesnaver A., 1993. Reconstruction of lateral gradients from reflection tomography. J. Seism. Explor., 2, 55–67.
Červený V. and Pšenčík I., 1984. SEIS83 - Numerical modeling of seismic wave fields in 2-D laterally varying layered structures by the ray method. In: Engdahl E.R. (Ed.), Documentation of Earthquake Algorithms. Report SE-35. World Data Center A for Solid Earth Geophysics, Boulder, CO, 36–40.
Červený V., 1987, Ray tracing algorithms in three-dimensional laterally varying layered structures, In: Nolet G. (Ed.), Seismic Tomography - with Applications in Global Seismology and Exploration Geophysics. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 99–133.
Diogo L.A., Diagon F.M.M. and Prado E.L., 2004. Bedrock imaging using post-critical shallow seismic reflection data. J. Appl. Geophys., 57, 1–9.
Dix C.H., 1955. Seismic velocities from surface measurements. Geophysics, 20, 68–86.
Grad M., Jensen S.L., Keller G.R., Guterch A., Thybo H., Janik T., Tiira T., Yliniemi J., Luosto U., Motuza G., Nasedkin V., Czuba W., Gaczyński E., Środa P., Miller K.C., Wilde-Piórko M., Komminaho K., Jacyna J. and Korabliova L., 2003. Crustal structure of the Trans-European suture zone region along POLONAISE’97 seismic profile P4. J. Geophys. Res., 108(B11), 2541.
Hobro J.W.D., 1999. Three-Dimensional Tomographic Inversion of Combined Reflection and Refraction Seismic Travel-Time Data. Ph.D. Thesis. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, U.K.
Hole J.A., 1992. Nonlinear high-resolution three-dimensional seismic travel time tomography. J. Geophys. Res., 97(B5), 6553–6562.
Majdański M., Grad M., Guterch A. and SUDETES 2003 Working Group, 2006. 2-D seismic tomographic and ray tracing modelling of the crustal structure across the Sudetes Mountains basing on SUDETES 2003 experiment data. Tectonophysics, 413, 249-269.
Malinowski M., Środa P., Grad M., Guterch A. and CELEBRATION 2000 Wokring Group, 2009. Testing robust inversion strategies for three-dimensional Moho topography based on CELEBRATION 2000 data. Geophys. J. Int., 179, 1093-1104.
Phillips W.S. and Fehler M.C., 1991. Traveltime tomography: A comparison of popular methods. Geophiscs, 56, 1639–1649.
Rawlinson N., Houseman G.A. and Collins C.D.N., 2001. Inversion of seismic refraction and wideangle reflection traveltimes for three-dimensional layered crustal structure. Geophys. J. Int., 145, 381–400.
Tarantola A., 1987. Inverse Problem Theory: Methods for Data Fitting and Model Parameter Estimation. Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netehrlands.
Vasco D.W., Peterson J.E. and Majer E.L., 1996. Nonuniqueness in traveltime tomography: Ensemble inference and cluster analysis. Geophysics, 61, 1209–1227.
Vesnaver A.L., 1996. The contribution of reflected, refracted and transmitted waves to seismic tomography: a tutorial. First Break, 14, 159–168.
Vesnaver A.L., Gohm G., Madrussani G., Petersen S.A. and Rossi G., 1999. Tomographic imaging by reflected and refracted arrivals at the North Sea. Geophysics, 64, 1952–1862.
Yilmaz O., 2001. Seismic Data Analysis: Processing, Inversion, and Interpretation of Seismic Data. Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Tulsa, OK.
Zelt C.A., 1994. ZPLOT - An Interactive Plotting and Picking Program for Seismic Data. Bullard Lab., University of Cambridge, Cambridge, U.K.
Zelt C.A., 1999. Modelling strategies and model assessment for wide-angle seismic traveltime data. Geophys. J. Int., 139, 183–204.
Zelt C.A. and Smith R.B., 1992. Seismic traveltime inversion for 2-D crustal velocity structure. Geophys. J. Int., 108, 16–34.
Zelt C.A. and Barton P.J., 1998. 3D seismic refraction tomography: A comparison of two methods applied to data from the Faeroe Basin. J. Geophys. Res., 103, 7187–7210.
Zhou H., 1993. Traveltime tomography with a spatial-coherency filter. Geophysics, 58, 720–726.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Majdański, M., Trzeciak, M., Gaczyński, E. et al. Seismic velocity estimation from post-critical wide-angle reflections in layered structures. Stud Geophys Geod 60, 565–582 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11200-015-1268-0
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11200-015-1268-0