Stereotomography

Geophysics ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. VE25-VE34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilles Lambaré

Stereotomography was proposed [Formula: see text] ago for estimating velocity macromodels from seismic reflection data. Initially, the goal was to retain the advantages of standard traveltime tomography while providing an alternative to difficult interpretive traveltime picking. Stereotomography relies on the concept of locally coherent events characterized by their local slopes in the prestack data cube. Currently, stereotomography has been developed in two and three dimensions, and precious experience has been gained. The expected advantages have been demonstrated fully (in particular, the efficiency and reliability of the semiautomatic stereotomographic picking strategies), and further studies have increased the method’s potential and flexibility. For example, stereotomographic picking can now be done in either the prestack or poststack domain, in either the time (migrated or unmigrated) or depth domain. It appears that the theoretical frame of stereotomography can reconcile, very satisfactorily and efficiently, most methods proposed for velocity-macromodel estimation for depth imaging. Moreover, an extension of the method to full-waveform inversion already exists and opens the way for very interesting developments.

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 366-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Provenzano ◽  
Antonis Zervos ◽  
Mark E. Vardy ◽  
Timothy J. Henstock

Pore pressures higher than hydrostatic correspond to localized reductions of the level of shear stress required to induce lateral mass movement in a slope, and therefore play a key role in preconditioning submarine landsliding. In this paper, we investigate whether multi-channel seismic reflection data can be used to infer potentially destabilizing pore-pressure levels at a resolution and sensitivity useful for in-situ slope stability characterization. We simulate the continuous deposition of sediment on consolidating slopes in two scenarios, with combinations of sedimentation rate and permeability distribution leading to disequilibrium compaction. Ultra-high-frequency (UHF; 0.2–2.5 kHz) seismic reflection data are computed for each model and a stochastic full waveform inversion (FWI) method is used to retrieve the sub-seabed properties from the computed seismograms. These are then interpreted as time–depth variations in the effective stress (σʹ) regime, and therefore local overpressure ratio and factor of safety, using a combination of p-wave velocity to σʹ transforms. The results demonstrate that multi-channel UHF seismic data can provide valuable constraints on the distribution of physical properties in the top 50 m below seabed at a sub-metric scale, and with a sensitivity useful to infer destabilizing excess pore pressure levels.Thematic collection: This article is part of the Measurement and monitoring collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/measurement-and-monitoring


Geophysics ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. B149-B160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cedric Schmelzbach ◽  
Heinrich Horstmeyer ◽  
Christopher Juhlin

A limited 3D seismic-reflection data set was used to map fracture zones in crystalline rock for a nuclear waste disposal site study. Seismic-reflection data simultaneously recorded along two roughly perpendicular profiles (1850 and [Formula: see text] long) and with a [Formula: see text] receiver array centered at the intersection of the lines sampled a [Formula: see text] area in three dimensions. High levels of source-generated noise required a processing sequence involving surface-consistent deconvolution, which effectively increased the strength of reflected signals, and a linear [Formula: see text] filtering scheme to suppress any remaining direct [Formula: see text]-wave energy. A flexible-binning scheme significantly balanced and increased the CMP fold, but the offset and azimuth distributions remain irregular; a wide azimuth range and offsets [Formula: see text] are concentrated in the center of the survey area although long offsets [Formula: see text] are only found at the edges of the site. Three-dimensional dip moveout and 3D poststack migration were necessary to image events with conflicting dips up to about 40°. Despite the irregular acquisition geometry and the high level of source-generated noise, we obtained images rich in structural detail. Seven continuous to semicontinuous reflection events were traced through the final data volume to a maximum depth of around [Formula: see text]. Previous 2D seismic-reflection studies and borehole data indicate that fracture zones are the most likely cause of the reflections.


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