On: “Weak elastic anisotropy,” by L. Thomsen (GEOPHYSICS, 52, 1954–1966, October, 1986).

In a paper whose importance seems to have escaped notice, Thomsen (1) derived equations that give the moveout velocities of P, SV, and SH-waves when solids are weakly transversely isotropic and (2) tabulated experimentally determined elastic constants for a large number of rocks, crystals, and a few other solids. For rocks, one of the constants, delta, differed from zero by as much as 0.73 and −0.27. Delta is the fraction by which P-wave moveout velocity deviates from the vertical velocity [Thomsen’s equation (27a)]. Although some deltas indicated deviations from the vertical velocity smaller than 1 or 2 percent, most were larger and positive. Until the publication of Thomsen’s data, most of us concerned with elastic waves traveling in earth sections that act as transversely isotropic solids because the sections consist of thin beds had assumed the individual beds were isotropic solids, all with the same Poisson’s ratios. That assumption results in a zero value for delta and a moveout velocity equal to the vertical velocity. The validity of the assumption is now doubtful.