Approximate polarization of plane waves in a medium having weak transverse isotropy

Geophysics ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 59 (10) ◽  
pp. 1605-1612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Björn E. Rommel
Keyword(s):  
Isotropic Medium ◽  
Transverse Isotropy ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Velocity Ratio ◽  
Plane Waves ◽  
Transversely Isotropic ◽  
Seismic Exploration ◽  
Transversely Isotropic Medium ◽  
Transversely Isotropic Media ◽  
Isotropic Media

Many real rocks and sediments relevant to seismic exploration can be described by elastic, transversely isotropic media. The properties of plane waves propagating in a transversely isotropic medium can be given in an analytically exact form. Here the polarization is recast into a comprehensive form that includes Daley and Hron’s normalization and Helbig’s full range of elastic constants. But these formulas are rather lengthy and do not easily reveal the features caused by anisotropy. Hence Thomsen suggested an approximation scheme for weak transverse isotropy. His derivation of the approximate polarization, however, is based on a property that is not suitable to measure small differences between an isotropic and a weakly transversely isotropic medium. Therefore the approximation of the polarization is recast. The corrected approximation does show a dependence on weak transverse isotropy. This feature can be viewed as an additional rotation of the polarization with respect to the wavenormal. It depends on the anisotropy as well as the inverse velocity ratio. An approximate condition of pure polarization, which occurs in certain directions, is also obtained. The corrected approximation results in a better match of the approximate polarization with the exact one, providing the assumption of weak transverse isotropy is met. When comparing the additional rotation with the deviation of the (observable) ray direction from the wavenormal, the qSV‐wave indicates transverse isotropy most clearly.

Aberration‐free image for SH reflection in transversely isotropic media

Geophysics ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 52 (11) ◽  
pp. 1563-1565 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Blair ◽  
J. Korringa
Keyword(s):  
Group Velocity ◽  
Isotropic Medium ◽  
Homogeneous Medium ◽  
Transversely Isotropic ◽  
Transversely Isotropic Medium ◽  
Elastic Symmetry ◽  
Source Point ◽  
Slowness Vector ◽  
Transversely Isotropic Media ◽  
Isotropic Media

This note is intended formulate and prove a theorem about shear (S) waves in a transversely isotropic medium for which we have found no reference in the literature. The theorem states the following: SH waves emanating from a point source in a homogeneous transversely isotropic medium are reflected from a planar interface between the transversely isotropic medium and another homogeneous medium in such a way that they define a reflective image that is free of aberrations, regardless of the relative orientation of the elastic symmetry axis and the interface. It is an image for rays in the direction of the group velocity vectors, not the slowness vectors. The image is located on a line through the source point in the direction of the group velocity of a wave for which the slowness vector is perpendicular to the interface. The distance, measured along this line, of the image behind the interface is equal to that of the source point in front. An analogous theorem for slowness vectors exists only for isotropic media, where it is trivial and coincides with the above.

Crosswell tomographic estimation of elastic constants in heterogeneous transversely isotropic media

Geophysics ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 774-783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reinaldo J. Michelena ◽  
Jerry M. Harris ◽  
Francis Muir
Keyword(s):  
Elastic Constants ◽  
Isotropic Medium ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Transversely Isotropic ◽  
Transversely Isotropic Medium ◽  
Transversely Isotropic Media ◽  
Isotropic Media ◽  
Axes Of Symmetry

The procedure to estimate elastic constants of a transversely isotropic medium from limited‐aperture traveltimes has two steps. First, P‐ and SV‐wave traveltimes are fitted with elliptical velocity functions around one of the axes of symmetry. Second, the parameters that describe the elliptical velocity functions are transformed analytically into elastic constants. When the medium is heterogeneous, the process of fitting the traveltimes with elliptical velocity functions is performed tomographically, and the transformation to elastic constants is performed locally at each position in space. Crosswell synthetic and field data examples show that the procedure is accurate as long as the data aperture is constrained as follows: it should not be too large otherwise the elliptical approximation may not be adequate, and it should not be too small because the tomographic estimation of elliptical velocities fails, even if the medium is actually isotropic.

Estimating SV‐wave stacking velocities for transversely isotropic solids

Geophysics ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 56 (10) ◽  
pp. 1596-1602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia A. Berge
Keyword(s):  
Shear Wave ◽  
Isotropic Medium ◽  
Transversely Isotropic ◽  
Anisotropic Media ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
Transversely Isotropic Medium ◽  
Transversely Isotropic Media ◽  
Isotropic Media ◽  
Snell’S Law ◽  
Snell's Law

Conventional seismic experiments can record converted shear waves in anisotropic media, but the shear‐wave stacking velocities pose a problem when processing and interpreting the data. Methods used to find shear‐wave stacking velocities in isotropic media will not always provide good estimates in anisotropic media. Although isotropic methods often can be used to estimate shear‐wave stacking velocities in transversely isotropic media with vertical symmetry axes, the estimations fail for some transversely isotropic media even though the anisotropy is weak. For a given anisotropic medium, the shear‐wave stacking velocity can be estimated using isotropic methods if the isotropic Snell’s law approximates the anisotropic Snell’s law and if the shear wavefront is smooth enough near the vertical axis to be fit with an ellipse. Most of the 15 transversely isotropic media examined in this paper met these conditions for short reflection spreads and small ray angles. Any transversely isotropic medium will meet these conditions if the transverse isotropy is weak and caused by thin subhorizontal layering. For three of the media examined, the anisotropy was weak but the shear wave-fronts were not even approximately elliptical near the vertical axis. Thus, isotropic methods provided poor estimates of the shear‐wave stacking velocities. These results confirm that for any given transversely isotropic medium, it is possible to determine whether or not shear‐wave stacking velocities can be estimated using isotropic velocity analysis.

Azimuthal variations in scattering amplitudes induced by transverse isotropy

Geophysics ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 56 (10) ◽  
pp. 1584-1595 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Pelissier ◽  
Anna Thomas‐Betts ◽  
Peter D. Vestergaard
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Waves ◽  
Symmetry Axis ◽  
Mode Conversion ◽  
Transverse Isotropy ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Transversely Isotropic ◽  
Anisotropy Axis ◽  
Scattering Coefficients ◽  
Transversely Isotropic Media ◽  
Isotropic Media

The study of amplitude variations of reflected and transmitted seismic waves due to anistropy has received considerable attention in recent years, but most investigations have concentrated on the effect of transverse isotropy with the symmetry axis either vertical or horizontal. The published results on the whole tend to exclude mode conversions. Amplitudes of all reflected and transmitted wave modes are addressed for [Formula: see text]-waves incident on boundaries between isotropic and transversely isotropic media, the symmetry axis of which is oriented at 45 degrees to the interface. The results cover the full range of incidence angles and all “acquisition azimuth” in the plane of the interface. When the anistropy axis is not normal to the interface, the scattering coefficients are shown to be highly dependent on the azimuth. The pattern of azimuthal variation is especially complicated in the case of mode conversion, and scattering coefficient profiles that are 180 degrees apart are not the same. This has the implication that source‐receiver interchangeability does not hold and could have serious consequences to amplitude studies in split‐spread surveys. Both the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] reflections show strong azimuthal variations, dependent on both the dip and the strike of the anisotropy axis. It may be possible to recover shown that the scattered amplitude patterns are dominantly controlled by the value of the elastic modulus [Formula: see text].

Transverse isotropy of the upper mantle in the vicinity of Pacific fracture zones

1969 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-72
Author(s):  
Robert S. Crosson ◽  
Nikolas I. Christensen
Keyword(s):  
Upper Mantle ◽  
Symmetry Axis ◽  
Transverse Isotropy ◽  
Transversely Isotropic ◽  
Seismic Wave Propagation ◽  
Fracture Zones ◽  
Mantle Material ◽  
Transversely Isotropic Media ◽  
Horizontal Symmetry ◽  
Isotropic Media

Abstract Several recent investigations suggest that portions of the Earth's upper mantle behave anisotropically to seismic wave propagation. Since several types of anisotropy can produce azimuthal variations in Pn velocities, it is of particular geophysical interest to provide a framework for the recognition of the form or forms of anisotropy most likely to be manifest in the upper mantle. In this paper upper mantle material is assumed to possess the elastic properties of transversely isotropic media. Equations are presented which relate azimuthal variations in Pn velocities to the direction and angle of tilt of the symmetry axis of a transversely isotropic upper mantle. It is shown that the velocity data of Raitt and Shor taken near the Mendocino and Molokai fracture zones can be adequately explained by the assumption of transverse isotropy with a nearly horizontal symmetry axis.

Normal moveout from dipping reflectors in anisotropic media

Geophysics ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 268-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilya Tsvankin
Keyword(s):  
Symmetry Axis ◽  
Transverse Isotropy ◽  
Transversely Isotropic ◽  
Anisotropic Media ◽  
Weak Anisotropy ◽  
Anisotropic Models ◽  
Transversely Isotropic Media ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Isotropic Media ◽  
The Difference

Description of reflection moveout from dipping interfaces is important in developing seismic processing methods for anisotropic media, as well as in the inversion of reflection data. Here, I present a concise analytic expression for normal‐moveout (NMO) velocities valid for a wide range of homogeneous anisotropic models including transverse isotropy with a tilted in‐plane symmetry axis and symmetry planes in orthorhombic media. In transversely isotropic media, NMO velocity for quasi‐P‐waves may deviate substantially from the isotropic cosine‐of‐dip dependence used in conventional constant‐velocity dip‐moveout (DMO) algorithms. However, numerical studies of NMO velocities have revealed no apparent correlation between the conventional measures of anisotropy and errors in the cosine‐of‐dip DMO correction (“DMO errors”). The analytic treatment developed here shows that for transverse isotropy with a vertical symmetry axis, the magnitude of DMO errors is dependent primarily on the difference between Thomsen parameters ε and δ. For the most common case, ε − δ > 0, the cosine‐of‐dip–corrected moveout velocity remains significantly larger than the moveout velocity for a horizontal reflector. DMO errors at a dip of 45 degrees may exceed 20–25 percent, even for weak anisotropy. By comparing analytically derived NMO velocities with moveout velocities calculated on finite spreads, I analyze anisotropy‐induced deviations from hyperbolic moveout for dipping reflectors. For transversely isotropic media with a vertical velocity gradient and typical (positive) values of the difference ε − δ, inhomogeneity tends to reduce (sometimes significantly) the influence of anisotropy on the dip dependence of moveout velocity.

Low-frequency layer-induced kinematic parameters in transversely isotropic media and orthorhombic media

2019 ◽  
Vol 220 (2) ◽  
pp. 839-855
Author(s):  
Da Shuai ◽  
Alexey Stovas
Keyword(s):  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Velocity Ratio ◽  
Symmetry Plane ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Transversely Isotropic ◽  
Kinematic Parameters ◽  
Frequency Dependent ◽  
Cross Term ◽  
Transversely Isotropic Media ◽  
Isotropic Media

SUMMARY We develop a method to compute frequency-dependent kinematic parameters for an effective orthorhombic (ORT) medium. In order to investigate the influence of fracture weaknesses on the kinematic parameters, the effective ORT medium is composed based on the linear slip theory and derived by applying the limited Baker–Campbell–Hausdorff series. The frequency-dependent kinematic parameters including vertical velocity, two normal moveout velocities defined in vertical symmetry planes, and three anelliptic parameters (two of them are defined in vertical symmetry plane and one parameter is the cross-term one). We also investigate the influence of volume fraction, frequency, velocity ratio and fracture weaknesses on the effective kinematic parameters.

Analytic study of the geometrical spreading of P-waves in a layered transversely isotropic medium with a vertical symmetry axis

Geophysics ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 1305-1315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongbo Zhou ◽  
George A. McMechan
Keyword(s):  
Isotropic Medium ◽  
Symmetry Axis ◽  
Transverse Isotropy ◽  
Analytical Formula ◽  
Transversely Isotropic ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Geometrical Spreading ◽  
Transversely Isotropic Medium ◽  
Weak Anisotropy ◽  
Special Cases

An analytical formula for geometrical spreading is derived for a horizontally layered transversely isotropic medium with a vertical symmetry axis (VTI). With this expression, geometrical spreading can be determined using only the anisotropy parameters in the first layer, the traveltime derivatives, and the source‐receiver offset. Explicit, numerically feasible expressions for geometrical spreading are obtained for special cases of transverse isotropy (weak anisotropy and elliptic anisotropy). Geometrical spreading can be calculated for transversly isotropic (TI) media by using picked traveltimes of primary nonhyperbolic P-wave reflections without having to know the actual parameters in the deeper subsurface; no ray tracing is needed. Synthetic examples verify the algorithm and show that it is numerically feasible for calculation of geometrical spreading. For media with a few (4–5) layers, relative errors in the computed geometrical spreading remain less than 0.5% for offset/depth ratios less than 1.0. Errors that change with offset are attributed to inaccuracy in the expression used for nonhyberbolic moveout. Geometrical spreading is most sensitive to errors in NMO velocity, followed by errors in zero‐offset reflection time, followed by errors in anisotropy of the surface layer. New relations between group and phase velocities and between group and phase angles are shown in appendices.

Analytic study of the effective parameters for determination of the NMO velocity function in transversely isotropic media

Geophysics ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 1855-1866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack K. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Transverse Isotropy ◽  
Transversely Isotropic ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Velocity Function ◽  
Transversely Isotropic Media ◽  
Wave Phase Velocity ◽  
Isotropic Media ◽  
Anisotropy Parameters ◽  
Vti Media ◽  
Ray Parameter

In their studies of transversely isotropic media with a vertical symmetry axis (VTI media), Alkhalifah and Tsvankin observed that, to a high numerical accuracy, the normal moveout (NMO) velocity for dipping reflectors as a function of ray parameter p depends mainly on just two parameters, each of which can be determined from surface P‐wave observations. They substantiated this result by using the weak‐anisotropy approximation and exploited it to develop a time‐domain processing sequence that takes into account vertical transverse isotropy. In this study, the two‐parameter Alkhalifah‐Tsvankin result was further examined analytically. It was found that although there is (as these authors already observed) some dependence on the remaining parameters of the problem, this dependence is weak, especially in the practically important regimes of weak to moderately strong transverse isotropy and small ray parameter. In each of these regimes, an analytic solution is derived for the anisotropy parameter η required for time‐domain P‐wave imaging in VTI media. In the case of elliptical anisotropy (η = 0), NMO velocity expressed through p is fully controlled just by the zero‐dip NMO velocity—one of the Alkhalifah‐ Tsvankin parameters. The two‐parameter representation of NMO velocity also was shown to be exact in another limit—that of the zero shear‐wave vertical velociy. The analytic results derived here are based on new representations for both the P‐wave phase velocity and normal moveout velocity in terms of the ray parameter, with explicit expressions given for the cases of vanishing onaxis shear speed, weak to moderate transverse isotropy, and small to moderate ray parameter. Using these formulas, I have rederived and, in some cases, extended in a uniform manner various results of Tsvankin, Alkhalifah, and others. Examples include second‐order expansions in the anisotropy parameters for both the P‐wave phase‐velocity function and NMO‐velocity function, as well as expansions in powers of the ray parameter for both of these functions. I have checked these expansions against the corresponding exact functions for several choices of the anisotropy parameters.

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