Refractor imaging using an automated wavefront reconstruction method

Geophysics ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 378-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
David F. Aldridge ◽  
Douglas W. Oldenburg
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Directional Derivative ◽  
Seismic Refraction ◽  
Synthetic Data ◽  
Reconstruction Method ◽  
Borehole Data ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Subsequent Step

The classical wavefront method for interpreting seismic refraction arrival times is implemented on a digital computer. Modern finite‐difference propagation algorithms are used to downward continue recorded refraction arrival times through a near‐surface heterogeneous velocity structure. Two such subsurface traveltime fields need to be reconstructed from the arrivals observed on a forward and reverse geophone spread. The locus of a shallow refracting horizon is then defined by a simple imaging condition involving the reciprocal time (the traveltime between source positions at either end of the spread). Refractor velocity is estimated in a subsequent step by calculating the directional derivative of the reconstructed subsurface wavefronts along the imaged interface. The principle limitation of the technique arises from imprecise knowledge of the overburden velocity distribution. This velocity information must be obtained from uphole times, direct and reflected arrivals, shallow refractions, and borehole data. Analysis of synthetic data examples indicates that the technique can accurately image both synclinal and anticlinal structures. Finally, the method is tested, apparently successfully, on a shallow refraction data‐set acquired at an archeological site in western Crete.

First-arrival picking with a U-net convolutional network

Geophysics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. U45-U57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lianlian Hu ◽  
Xiaodong Zheng ◽  
Yanting Duan ◽  
Xinfei Yan ◽  
Ying Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Data ◽  
Synthetic Data ◽  
Training Data ◽  
Convolutional Network ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Waveform Data ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Seismic Waveform ◽  
First Arrival

In exploration geophysics, the first arrivals on data acquired under complicated near-surface conditions are often characterized by significant static corrections, weak energy, low signal-to-noise ratio, and dramatic phase change, and they are difficult to pick accurately with traditional automatic procedures. We have approached this problem by using a U-shaped fully convolutional network (U-net) to first-arrival picking, which is formulated as a binary segmentation problem. U-net has the ability to recognize inherent patterns of the first arrivals by combining attributes of arrivals in space and time on data of varying quality. An effective workflow based on U-net is presented for fast and accurate picking. A set of seismic waveform data and their corresponding first-arrival times are used to train the network in a supervised learning approach, then the trained model is used to detect the first arrivals for other seismic data. Our method is applied on one synthetic data set and three field data sets of low quality to identify the first arrivals. Results indicate that U-net only needs a few annotated samples for learning and is able to efficiently detect first-arrival times with high precision on complicated seismic data from a large survey. With the increasing training data of various first arrivals, a trained U-net has the potential to directly identify the first arrivals on new seismic data.

Regularization and datuming of seismic data by weighted, damped least squares

Geophysics ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. U67-U76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Least Squares ◽  
Seismic Data ◽  
Synthetic Data ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Structural Data ◽  
Irregular Sampling ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Damped Least Squares ◽  
Wavefield Extrapolation

The possibility of improving regularization/datuming of seismic data is investigated by treating wavefield extrapolation as an inversion problem. Weighted, damped least squares is then used to produce the regularized/datumed wavefield. Regularization/datuming is extremely costly because of computing the Hessian, so an efficient approximation is introduced. Approximation is achieved by computing a limited number of diagonals in the operators involved. Real and synthetic data examples demonstrate the utility of this approach. For synthetic data, regularization/datuming is demonstrated for large extrapolation distances using a highly irregular recording array. Without approximation, regularization/datuming returns a regularized wavefield with reduced operator artifacts when compared to a nonregularizing method such as generalized phase shift plus interpolation (PSPI). Approximate regularization/datuming returns a regularized wavefield for approximately two orders of magnitude less in cost; but it is dip limited, though in a controllable way, compared to the full method. The Foothills structural data set, a freely available data set from the Rocky Mountains of Canada, demonstrates application to real data. The data have highly irregular sampling along the shot coordinate, and they suffer from significant near-surface effects. Approximate regularization/datuming returns common receiver data that are superior in appearance compared to conventional datuming.

DISPERSION IN SEISMIC SURFACE WAVES

Geophysics ◽  
1951 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milton B. Dobrin
Keyword(s):  
Surface Waves ◽  
Water Waves ◽  
Seismic Refraction ◽  
Wave Theory ◽  
Wave Dispersion ◽  
Surface Zone ◽  
Surface Wave Dispersion ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Ground Roll

A non‐mathematical summary is presented of the published theories and observations on dispersion, i.e., variation of velocity with frequency, in surface waves from earthquakes and in waterborne waves from shallow‐water explosions. Two further instances are cited in which dispersion theory has been used in analyzing seismic data. In the seismic refraction survey of Bikini Atoll, information on the first 400 feet of sediments below the lagoon bottom could not be obtained from ground wave first arrival times because shot‐detector distances were too great. Dispersion in the water waves, however, gave data on speed variations in the bottom sediments which made possible inferences on the recent geological history of the atoll. Recent systematic observations on ground roll from explosions in shot holes have shown dispersion in the surface waves which is similar in many ways to that observed in Rayleigh waves from distant earthquakes. Classical wave theory attributes Rayleigh wave dispersion to the modification of the waves by a surface layer. In the case of earthquakes, this layer is the earth’s crust. In the case of waves from shot‐holes, it is the low‐speed weathered zone. A comparison of observed ground roll dispersion with theory shows qualitative agreement, but it brings out discrepancies attributable to the fact that neither the theory for liquids nor for conventional solids applies exactly to unconsolidated near‐surface rocks. Additional experimental and theoretical study of this type of surface wave dispersion may provide useful information on the properties of the surface zone and add to our knowledge of the mechanism by which ground roll is generated in seismic shooting.

scholarly journals Crustal velocity structure of the Apennines (Italy) from P-wave travel time tomography

1996 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Chiarabba ◽  
A. Amato
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Structure ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Depth Interval ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Velocity Anomaly ◽  
Minimum Number ◽  
Velocity Images ◽  
Lower Crustal

In this paper we provide P-wave velocity images of the crust underneath the Apennines (Italy), focusing on the lower crustal structure and the Moho topography. We inverted P-wave arrival times of earthquakes which occurred from 1986 to 1993 within the Apenninic area. To overcome inversion instabilities due to noisy data (we used bulletin data) we decided to resolve a minimum number of velocity parameters, inverting for only two layers in the crust and one in the uppermost mantle underneath the Moho. A partial inversion of only 55% of the overall dataset yields velocity images similar to those obtained with the whole data set, indicating that the depicted tomograms are stable and fairly insensitive to the number of data used. We find a low-velocity anomaly in the lower crust extending underneath the whole Apenninic belt. This feature is segmented by a relative high-velocity zone in correspondence with the Ortona-Roccamonfina line, that separates the northern from the southern Apenninic arcs. The Moho has a variable depth in the study area, and is deeper (more than 37 km) in the Adriatic side of the Northern Apennines with respect to the Tyrrhenian side, where it is found in the depth interval 22-34 km.

The response of the time-term method to simulated crustal structures

1979 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 1455-1473
Author(s):  
D. N. Whitcombe ◽  
P. K. H. Maguire
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Seismic Refraction ◽  
Critical Distance ◽  
Structural Variations ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Term Model ◽  
Time Term ◽  
Seismic Refraction Data ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

abstract The time-term method of interpreting seismic refraction data is analyzed to examine inadequacies in the chosen time-term model by relating observational errors to the solution variance. The results obtained from data that has been simulated for various structures are investigated. This is done quantitatively for simple structures and semi-quantitatively for more complex cases. Velocity and topographic variations of the refractor are considered as signals having dominant wavelengths. It is found that the response of the time-term method to these structural variations depends on the relationship of the structural wavelength to the dimensions of the experiment and the critical distance. For all but the simplest structures, the standard error estimates that can be obtained from a time-term solution are likely to be completely inadequate as estimates of the true error. It is demonstrated that if the refractor is anything other than uniform, the effects of a complicated velocity structure may be absorbed into the time terms. Similarly it is argued that in situations in which the refractor is not horizontal, erroneous values for complex velocity coefficients (e.g., gradient, anisotropy, etc.) can be obtained if these coefficients are included in the chosen time-term model. Finally, it is indicated that reduced travel times can be used in a way that removes the “stirring pot” aspect of time-term analysis, and to determine if a data set is suitable for examination by the time-term method.

Near-surface scattering phenomena and implications for tunnel detection

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. SF43-SF54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelby L. Peterie ◽  
Richard D. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Data ◽  
P Wave ◽  
S Wave ◽  
Seismic Line ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Tunnel Detection ◽  
Impedance Contrast ◽  
Diffraction Imaging ◽  
Imaging Algorithms

Tunnel locations are accurately interpreted from diffraction sections of focused mode converted P- to S-wave diffractions from a perpendicular tunnel and P-wave diffractions from a nonperpendicular (oblique) tunnel. Near-surface tunnels are ideal candidates for diffraction imaging due to their small size relative to the seismic wavelength and large acoustic impedance contrast at the tunnel interface. Diffraction imaging algorithms generally assume that the velocities of the primary wave and the diffracted wave are approximately equal, and that the diffraction apex is recorded directly above the scatterpoint. Scattering phenomena from shallow tunnels with kinematic properties that violate these assumptions were observed in one field data set and one synthetic data set. We developed the traveltime equations for mode-converted and oblique diffractions and demonstrated a diffraction imaging algorithm designed for the roll-along style of acquisition. Potential processing and interpretation pitfalls specific to these diffraction types were identified. Based on our observations, recommendations were made to recognize and image mode-converted and oblique diffractions and accurately interpret tunnel depth, horizontal location, and azimuth with respect to the seismic line.

scholarly journals Crustal velocity structure of the Superior and Grenville provinces of the southeastern Canadian Shield

1997 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1167-1184 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Winardhi ◽  
R. F. Mereu
Keyword(s):  
Greenstone Belt ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Canadian Shield ◽  
Crustal Thickening ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Tectonic Zone ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Abitibi Greenstone Belt ◽  
Sudbury Structure

The 1992 Lithoprobe Abitibi–Grenville Seismic Refraction Experiment was conducted using four profiles across the Grenville and Superior provinces of the southeastern Canadian Shield. Delay-time analysis and tomographic inversion of the data set demonstrate significant lateral and vertical variations in crustal velocities from one terrane to another, with the largest velocity values occurring underneath the Central Gneiss and the Central Metasedimentary belts south of the Grenville Front. The Grenville Front Tectonic Zone is imaged as a southeast-dipping region of anomalous velocity gradients extending to the Moho. The velocity-anomaly maps suggest an Archean crust may extend, horizontally, 140 km beneath the northern Grenville Province. Near-surface velocity anomalies correlate well with the known geology. The most prominent of these is the Sudbury Structure, which is well mapped as a low-velocity basinal structure. The tomography images also suggest underthrusting of the Pontiac and Quetico subprovinces beneath the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. Wide-angle PmP signals, indicate that the Moho varies from a sharp discontinuity south of the Grenville Front to a rather diffuse and flat boundary under the Abitibi Greenstone Belt north of the Grenville Front. A significant crustal thinning near the Grenville Front may indicate post-Grenvillian rebound and (or) the extensional structure of the Ottawa–Bonnechere graben. Crustal thickening resulting from continental collision may explain the tomographic images showing the Moho is 4–5 km deeper south of the Grenville Front.

The diminishing residual matrices method for surface-consistent statics — A review

Geophysics ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. V257-V274
Author(s):  
Necati Gülünay
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Data ◽  
Reconstruction Technique ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Long Wavelength ◽  
Iterative Reconstruction Technique ◽  
Land Survey ◽  
First Arrival ◽  
Waveform Distortions ◽  
The Individual

The diminishing residual matrices (DRM) method can be used to surface-consistently decompose individual trace statics into source and receiver components. The statics to be decomposed may either be first-arrival times after the application of linear moveout associated with a consistent refractor as used in refraction statics or residual statics obtained by crosscorrelating individual traces with corresponding model traces (known as pilot traces) at the same common-midpoint (CMP) location. The DRM method is an iterative process like the well-known Gauss-Seidel (GS) method, but it uses only source and receiver terms. The DRM method differs from the GS method in that half of the average common shot and receiver terms are subtracted simultaneously from the observations at each iteration. DRM makes the under-constrained statics problem a constrained one by implicitly adding a new constraint, the equality of the contribution of shots and receivers to the solution. The average of the shot statics and the average of the receiver statics are equal in the DRM solution. The solution has the smallest difference between shot and receiver statics profiles when the number of shots and the number of receivers in the data are equal. In this case, it is also the smallest norm solution. The DRM method can be derived from the well-known simultaneous iterative reconstruction technique. Simple numerical tests as well as results obtained with a synthetic data set containing only the field statics verify that the DRM solution is the same as the linear inverse theory solution. Both algorithms can solve for the long-wavelength component of the statics if the individual picks contain them. Yet DRM method is much faster. Application of the method to the normal moveout-corrected CMP gathers on a 3D land survey for residual statics calculation found that pick-decompose-apply-stack stages of the DRM method need to be iterated. These iterations are needed because of time and waveform distortions of the pilot traces due to the individual trace statics. The distortions lessen at every external DRM iteration.

First-arrival traveltime tomography based on the adjoint-state method

Geophysics ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. WCB1-WCB10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cédric Taillandier ◽  
Mark Noble ◽  
Hervé Chauris ◽  
Henri Calandra
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Data ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Traveltime Tomography ◽  
Adjoint State ◽  
Gradient Based ◽  
First Arrival ◽  
State Method ◽  
Adjoint State Method

Classical algorithms used for traveltime tomography are not necessarily well suited for handling very large seismic data sets or for taking advantage of current supercomputers. The classical approach of first-arrival traveltime tomography was revisited with the proposal of a simple gradient-based approach that avoids ray tracing and estimation of the Fréchet derivative matrix. The key point becomes the derivation of the gradient of the misfit function obtained by the adjoint-state technique. The adjoint-state method is very attractive from a numerical point of view because the associated cost is equivalent to the solution of the forward-modeling problem, whatever the size of the input data and the number of unknown velocity parameters. An application on a 2D synthetic data set demonstrated the ability of the algorithm to image near-surface velocities with strong vertical and lateral variations and revealed the potential of the method.

Interpretation of three-dimensional seismic refraction data from western Hecate Strait, British Columbia: structure of the crust

1993 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 1440-1452 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Hole ◽  
R. M. Clowes ◽  
R. M. Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Seismic Refraction ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Surface Expression ◽  
Wide Angle ◽  
Lateral Velocity ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Velocity Anomaly ◽  
Air Gun ◽  
Refraction Data

As part of a multidisciplinary investigation of the structure and tectonics of the Queen Charlotte Basin and underlying crust, deep multichannel seismic reflection and coincident crustal refraction data were collected in 1988. Energy from the reflection air-gun array source was recorded at land sites at offsets appropriate to record crustal refraction and wide-angle reflection data. Refraction data recorded in a broadside geometry provide good three-dimensional coverage of western Hecate Strait. These data are modelled using tomographic inversion techniques to determine the three-dimensional velocity structure of the crust in this region. The one-dimensional average velocity increases rapidly with depth to 6.5 km/s at 7 km depth. Velocities from 7 to at least 12 km depth remain approximately constant and are associated with rocks of the Wrangellia terrane. Significant lateral velocity variations, including large differences in near-surface velocities attributable to surface features, relatively low velocities representing interbedded Tertiary sediments and volcanics, and a deep high-velocity anomaly that may represent the root of an igneous intrusion, are mapped. Wide-angle reflections from the Moho are used to determine the thickness of the crust. The Moho is at 29 km depth beneath the east coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands. This is deeper than the Moho observed below Queen Charlotte Sound and as deep as, or deeper than, that below Hecate Strait. Crustal thinning during Tertiary extension was thus greatest beneath the surface expression of the Queen Charlotte Basin, leaving the crust under the islands considerably thicker than under the basin. In an alternate or additional explanation, compression at the continental margin during the last 4 Ma may have been taken up by thickening or underplating of the continental crust beneath the islands. If the Pacific plate is subducting beneath the islands, the Moho observations constrain the slab to dip greater than 20–26°.

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