Generalized Dix equations for a layered transversely isotropic medium

Geophysics ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. D77-D81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bjørn Ursin ◽  
Alexey Stovas

In standard Dix equations, normal-incidence traveltimes and rms or NMO velocities for PP reflections are used to estimate interval velocity and thickness for homogeneous isotropic horizontal layers. For a stack of homogeneous horizontal layers that are transversely isotropic with a vertical symmetry axis (VTI), the qPqP traveltimes (and the qPqSV traveltimes) depend on four parameters and the thickness of each layer. These can be estimated from the traveltimes of the qPqP and qPqSV reflected waves. The estimated qPqP traveltime parameters are P-wave normal-incidence traveltime, P-wave NMO velocity, and a heterogeneity factor entering in the shifted hyperbolic traveltime approximation or in a continued fraction traveltime approximation. The estimated qPqSV traveltime parameters are PS normal-incidence traveltime and PS NMO velocity combined with the qPqP traveltime parameters. These are used to compute S-wave normal-incidence traveltime and SV-wave NMO velocity. The estimated traveltime parameters are entered into explicit expressions for the four layer parameters and the thickness of each layer. These layer-recursive formulas, except for slightly different initial conditions, are also valid for ocean-bottom seismic data. For reflected SH-wave traveltimes, there are two elastic parameters and thicknesses per layer, and we can estimate three traveltime parameters. However, two of these traveltime parameters are functionally related, and it is impossible to estimate the three layer parameters from SH-wave traveltimes only.

Geophysics ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franklyn K. Levin

P‐wave, SV‐wave, and SH‐wave velocities are computed for transversely isotropic solids formed from two isotropic solids. The combinations are shale‐sandstone and shale‐limestone solids of an earlier paper (Levin, 1979), but one velocity of the nonshale component is allowed to vary over the range of Poisson’s ratios σ = 0 to σ = 0.45, i.e., from a rigid solid to a near‐liquid. When the S‐wave velocity of either the sandstone or limestone is varied, the ratio of horizontal P‐wave velocity to vertical P‐wave velocity goes through a maximum as σ increases and subsequently falls to values less than unity as σ approaches 0.5. The P‐wave velocity that would be found with a short surface spread also goes through a maximum and, at σ = 0.5, is less than the P‐wave velocity of either isotropic component. SV‐wave velocities found for data from a short spread are unreasonably large; SH‐wave velocities decrease monotonically as σ increases, but the ratio of horizontal SH‐wave velocity to vertical SH‐wave velocity goes through a minimum of unity.


Geophysics ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. C295-C307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengfei Yu ◽  
Jianhua Geng ◽  
Chenlong Wang

Quasi-P (qP)-wavefield separation is a crucial step for elastic P-wave imaging in anisotropic media. It is, however, notoriously challenging to quickly and accurately obtain separated qP-wavefields. Based on the concepts of the trace of the stress tensor and the pressure fields defined in isotropic media, we have developed a new method to rapidly separate the qP-wave in a transversely isotropic medium with a vertical symmetry axis (VTI) by synthesized pressure from ocean-bottom seismic (OBS) data as a preprocessing step for elastic reverse time migration (ERTM). Another key aspect of OBS data elastic wave imaging is receiver-side 4C records back extrapolation. Recent studies have revealed that receiver-side tensorial extrapolation in isotropic media with ocean-bottom 4C records can sufficiently suppress nonphysical waves produced during receiver-side reverse time wavefield extrapolation. Similarly, the receiver-side 4C records tensorial extrapolation was extended to ERTM in VTI media in our studies. Combining a separated qP-wave by synthesizing pressure and receiver-side wavefield reverse time tensorial extrapolation with the crosscorrelation imaging condition, we have developed a robust, fast, flexible, and elastic imaging quality improved method in VTI media for OBS data.


Geophysics ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. WA113-WA123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt T. Nihei ◽  
Seiji Nakagawa ◽  
Frederic Reverdy ◽  
Larry R. Myer ◽  
Luca Duranti ◽  
...  

Sediments undergoing compaction typically exhibit transversely isotropic (TI) elastic properties. We present a new experimental apparatus, the phased array compaction cell, for measuring the TI elastic properties of clay-rich sediments during compaction. This apparatus uses matched sets of P- and S-wave ultrasonic transducers located along the sides of the sample and an ultrasonic P-wave phased array source, together with a miniature P-wave receiver on the top and bottom ends of the sample. The phased array measurements are used to form plane P-waves that provide estimates of the phase velocities over a range of angles. From these measurements, the five TI elastic constants can be recovered as the sediment is compacted, without the need for sample unloading, recoring, or reorienting. This paper provides descriptions of the apparatus, the data processing, and an application demonstrating recovery of the evolving TI properties of a compacting marine sediment sample.


Geophysics ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 1095-1107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilya Tsvankin ◽  
Leon Thomsen

In anisotropic media, the short‐spread stacking velocity is generally different from the root‐mean‐square vertical velocity. The influence of anisotropy makes it impossible to recover the vertical velocity (or the reflector depth) using hyperbolic moveout analysis on short‐spread, common‐midpoint (CMP) gathers, even if both P‐ and S‐waves are recorded. Hence, we examine the feasibility of inverting long‐spread (nonhyperbolic) reflection moveouts for parameters of transversely isotropic media with a vertical symmetry axis. One possible solution is to recover the quartic term of the Taylor series expansion for [Formula: see text] curves for P‐ and SV‐waves, and to use it to determine the anisotropy. However, this procedure turns out to be unstable because of the ambiguity in the joint inversion of intermediate‐spread (i.e., spreads of about 1.5 times the reflector depth) P and SV moveouts. The nonuniqueness cannot be overcome by using long spreads (twice as large as the reflector depth) if only P‐wave data are included. A general analysis of the P‐wave inverse problem proves the existence of a broad set of models with different vertical velocities, all of which provide a satisfactory fit to the exact traveltimes. This strong ambiguity is explained by a trade‐off between vertical velocity and the parameters of anisotropy on gathers with a limited angle coverage. The accuracy of the inversion procedure may be significantly increased by combining both long‐spread P and SV moveouts. The high sensitivity of the long‐spread SV moveout to the reflector depth permits a less ambiguous inversion. In some cases, the SV moveout alone may be used to recover the vertical S‐wave velocity, and hence the depth. Success of this inversion depends on the spreadlength and degree of SV‐wave velocity anisotropy, as well as on the constraints on the P‐wave vertical velocity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 873 (1) ◽  
pp. 012102
Author(s):  
Madaniya Oktariena ◽  
Wahyu Triyoso ◽  
Fatkhan Fatkhan ◽  
Sigit Sukmono ◽  
Erlangga Septama ◽  
...  

Abstract The existence of anisotropy phenomena in the subsurface will affect the image quality of seismic data. Hence a prior knowledge of the type of anisotropy is quite essential, especially when dealing with deep water targets. The preliminary result of the anisotropy of the well-based modelling in deep water exploration and development is discussed in this study. Anisotropy types are modelled for Vertical Transverse Isotropy (VTI) and Horizontal Transverse Isotropy (HTI) based on Thomsen Parameters of ε and γ. The parameters are obtained from DSI Logging paired with reference δ value for modelling. Three initial conditions are then analysed. The first assumption is isotropic, in which the P-Wave Velocity, S-Wave Velocity, and Density Log modelled at their in-situ condition. The second and third assumptions are anisotropy models that are VTI and HTI. In terms of HTI, the result shows that the model of CDP Gather in the offset domain has a weak distortion in Amplitude Variation with Azimuth (AVAz). However, another finding shows a relatively strong hockey effect in far offset, which indicates that the target level is a VTI dominated type. It is supported by the geomechanical analysis result in which vertical stress acts as the maximum principal axis while horizontal stress is close to isotropic one. To sum up, this prior anisotropy knowledge obtained based on this study could guide the efficiency guidance in exploring the deep water environment.


1966 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-221
Author(s):  
Shuzo Asano

abstract The effect of a corrugated interface on wave propagation is considered by using the method that was first applied to acoustical gratings by Rayleigh. The problem is what happens when a plane P wave is incident on a corrugated interface that separates two semi-infinite media. As is well known, there are irregular (scattered) waves as well as regular waves. By assuming both the amplitude and the slope of a corrugated interface to be small, quantities of the order of the square of corrugation amplitude are taken into account. In the case of normal incidence for three models considered, the effect of corrugation on reflection is larger than the effect of corrugation on refraction; the amplitude of the regularly reflected waves decreases, and that of the regularly refracted waves and of the irregular waves increases, as the corrugation amplitude becomes larger. Generally, the larger the velocity contrast, the larger the variation of wave amplitude with the wavelength and the amplitude of corrugation. The S wave component generally becomes larger as the wavelength of corrugation becomes smaller. Boundary waves exist, depending upon the ratio of wavelength of corrugation to that of the incident wave. For a specified interface, it is possible that there is a significant difference in wave amplitude as a function of the elastic constants. In the case of oblique incidence, computation was carried out for angles of incidence smaller than 15° for one model. For these small angles of incidence, almost all results for the case of normal incidence still hold. Furthermore, it can be concluded that the effect of the angle of incidence on reflected S waves is larger than for the other waves and that large differences in the amplitudes of waves at different angles of incidence may be expected for the irregular waves.


Geophysics ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
pp. WC51-WC63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxiang Wang ◽  
Ilya Tsvankin

Transversely isotropic models with a tilted symmetry axis (TTI media) are widely used in depth imaging of complex geologic structures. Here, we present a modification of a previously developed 2D P-wave tomographic algorithm for estimating heterogeneous TTI velocity fields and apply it to synthetic and field data. The symmetry-direction velocity [Formula: see text], anisotropy parameters [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], and symmetry-axis tilt [Formula: see text] are defined on a rectangular grid. To ensure stable reconstruction of the TTI parameters, reflection data are combined with walkaway vertical seismic profiling (VSP) traveltimes in joint tomographic inversion. To improve the convergence of the algorithm, we develop a three-stage model-updating procedure that gradually relaxes the constraints on the spatial variations of the anisotropy parameters, while the symmetry axis is kept orthogonal to the reflectors. Only at the final stage of the inversion are the parameters [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] updated on the same grid. We also incorporate geologic constraints into tomography by designing regularization terms that penalize parameter variations in the direction parallel to the interfaces. First, we examine the performance of the regularized joint tomography of reflection and VSP data for two sections of the BP TTI model that contain an anticline and a salt dome. All three TTI parameters in the shallow part of both sections (down to 5 km) are well resolved by the proposed model-updating process. Then, the algorithm is applied to a 2D section from 3D ocean-bottom seismic data acquired at Volve field in the North Sea. The inverted TTI model produces well-focused reflectors throughout the section and accurately positions the key horizons, which is confirmed by the available well markers.


Geophysics ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 231-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lasse Amundsen ◽  
Arne Reitan

At the boundary between two solid media in welded contact, all three components of particle velocity and vertical traction are continuous through the boundary. Across the boundary between a fluid and a solid, however, only the vertical component of particle velocity is continuous while the horizontal components can be discontinuous. Furthermore, the pressure in the fluid is the negative of the vertical component of traction in the solid, while the horizontal components of traction vanish at the interface. Taking advantage of this latter fact, we show that total P‐ and S‐waves can be computed from the vertical component of the particle velocity recorded by single component geophones planted on the sea floor. In the case when the sea floor is transversely isotropic with a vertical axis of symmetry, the computation requires the five independent elastic stiffness components and the density. However, when the sea floor material is fully isotropic, the only material parameter needed is the local shear wave velocity. The analysis of the extraction problem is done in the slowness domain. We show, however, that the S‐wave section can be obtained by a filtering operation in the space‐frequency domain. The P‐wave section is then the difference between the vertical component of the particle velocity and the S‐wave component. A synthetic data example demonstrates the performance of the algorithm.


Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sha Song ◽  
Umberta Tinivella ◽  
Michela Giustiniani ◽  
Sunny Singhroha ◽  
Stefan Bünz ◽  
...  

The presence of a gas hydrate reservoir and free gas layer along the South Shetland margin (offshore Antarctic Peninsula) has been well documented in recent years. In order to better characterize gas hydrate reservoirs, with a particular focus on the quantification of gas hydrate and free gas and the petrophysical properties of the subsurface, we performed travel time inversion of ocean-bottom seismometer data in order to obtain detailed P- and S-wave velocity estimates of the sediments. The P-wave velocity field is determined by the inversion of P-wave refractions and reflections, while the S-wave velocity field is obtained from converted-wave reflections received on the horizontal components of ocean-bottom seismometer data. The resulting velocity fields are used to estimate gas hydrate and free gas concentrations using a modified Biot‐Geertsma‐Smit theory. The results show that hydrate concentration ranges from 10% to 15% of total volume and free gas concentration is approximately 0.3% to 0.8% of total volume. The comparison of Poisson’s ratio with previous studies in this area indicates that the gas hydrate reservoir shows no significant regional variations.


Geophysics ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 564-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Wright

Studies have shown that elastic properties of materials such as shale and chalk are anisotropic. With the increasing emphasis on extraction of lithology and fluid content from changes in reflection amplitude with shot‐to‐group offset, one needs to know the effects of anisotropy on reflectivity. Since anisotropy means that velocity depends upon the direction of propagation, this angular dependence of velocity is expected to influence reflectivity changes with offset. These effects might be particularly evident in deltaic sand‐shale sequences since measurements have shown that the P-wave velocity of shales in the horizontal direction can be 20 percent higher than the vertical P-wave velocity. To investigate this behavior, a computer program was written to find the P- and S-wave reflectivities at an interface between two transversely isotropic media with the axis of symmetry perpendicular to the interface. Models for shale‐chalk and shale‐sand P-wave reflectivities were analyzed.


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