Seismic velocity analysis in the scattering-angle/azimuth domain

Migration velocity analysis is carried out by analysing the residual moveout and amplitude variations in common image point gathers (CIGs) parametrized by scattering angle and azimuth. The misfit criterion in the analysis is of the differential-semblance type. By using angles to parametrize the imaging we are able to handle and exploit data with multiple arrivals, although artefacts may occur in the CIGs and need to be suppressed. The CIGs are generated by angle migration, an approach based on the generalized Radon transform (GRT) inversion, and they provide multiple images of reflectors in the subsurface for a range of scattering angles and azimuths. Within the differential semblance applied to these CIGs, we compensate for amplitude versus angle (AVA) effects. Thus, using a correct background velocity model, the CIGs should have no residual moveout nor amplitude variation with angles, and the differential semblance should vanish. If the velocity model is incorrect, however, the events in the CIGs will appear at different depths for different angles and the amplitude along the events will be non-uniform. A standard, gradient-based optimization scheme is employed to develop a velocity updating procedure. The model update is formed by backprojecting the differential semblance misfits through ray perturbation kernels, within a GRT inverse. The GRT inverse acts on the data, subject to a shift in accordance with ray perturbation theory. The performance of our algorithm is demonstrated with two synthetic data examples using isotropic elastic models. The first one allows velocity variation with depth only. In the second one, we reconstruct a low-velocity lens in the model that gives rise to multipathing. The velocity model parametrization is based upon the eigentensor decomposition of the stiffness tensor and makes use of B-splines.     

Anisotropy from full waveform inversion of multicomponent seismic data using a hybrid optimization method

Seismic waveforms contain valuable information about the media, but the waveform inversion is a non‐linear problem. We present a waveform inversion method that combines a local optimization method with a genetic algorithm to determine the anisotropic parameters of a horizontally stratified medium. Synthetic seismograms for a horizontally stratified anisotropic medium are calculated using the reflectivity technique. In the initial stage of the inversion, the global space‐sampling properties of the genetic algorithm are used to direct the search to the region close to the global solution. This solution is then further improved using a conjugate‐gradient method. The numerical experiments performed with noisy synthetic data show that our hybrid optimization method satisfactorily reconstructs the anisotropic parameters at a reasonable computing cost while the range of slowness is adequate. We found that (i) for small‐angle data neither single‐ nor multiple‐component data are sufficient to determine the anisotropic parameters uniquely; (ii) for medium‐angle data the multiple‐component data are sufficient to determine the anisotropic parameters exactly whereas the single‐component data are not sufficient; and (iii) for wide‐angle data, either single‐ or multiple‐component data are sufficient to determine the anisotropic parameters accurately.     

Reconstruction of the layer anisotropic elastic parameters and high-resolution fracture characterization from P-wave data: a case study using seismic inversion and Bayesian rock physics parameter estimation

Wide-azimuth seismic data can be used to derive anisotropic parameters on the subsurface by observing variation in subsurface seismic response along different azimuths. Layer-based high-resolution estimates of components of the subsurface anisotropic elastic tensor can be reconstructed by using wide-azimuth P-wave data by combining the kinematic information derived from anisotropic velocity analysis with dynamic information obtained from amplitude versus angle and azimuth analysis of wide-azimuth seismic data. Interval P-impedance, S-impedance and anisotropic parameters associated with anisotropic fracture media are being reconstructed using linearized analysis assuming horizontal transverse anisotropy symmetry. In this paper it is shown how additional assumptions, such as the rock model, can be used to reduce the degrees of freedom in the estimation problem and recover all five anisotropic parameters. Because the use of a rock model is needed, the derived elastic parameters are consistent with the rock model and are used to infer fractured rock properties using stochastic rock physics inversion. The inversion is based on stochastic rock physics modelling and maximum a posteriori estimate of both porosity and crack density parameters associated with the observed elastic parameters derived from both velocity and amplitude versus angle and azimuth analysis. While the focus of this study is on the use of P-wave reflection data, we also show how additional information such as shear wave splitting and/or anisotropic well log data can reduce the assumptions needed to derive elastic parameter and rock properties.     

Estimation of near surface soil moisture in a sloping terrain of a Himalayan watershed using ENVISAT ASAR multi‐incidence angle alternate polarisation data

Soil moisture is one of the important input variables in hydrological and water erosion models. The extraction of information on near surface soil moisture from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is well established mostly for flat terrain and using low incidence angle single polarisation data. The ENVISAT advanced SAR (ASAR) data available in multiple incidence angles and alternate polarisation modes were investigated in this study for soil moisture estimation in sloping terrain. The test site was Sitla Rao watershed in the Lesser Himalayas of northern India. Empirical models were developed to estimate near surface soil moisture in bare agricultural fields using alternate polarisation ASAR data. Both soil moisture and surface roughness field measurements were performed during the satellite passes. Backscatter from medium incidence angle (IS‐4) and vertical‐vertical (VV) polarisation signal is correlated better with volumetric soil moisture content compared to other incidence angles. The model parameters were further improved, and soil moisture estimation was refined by combining medium incidence angle (IS4) vertical‐horizontal polarisation response as another variable along with VV polarisation response. The effect of slope on the radar backscatter was minimized by incorporating local incidence angles derived from an ASTER DEM. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

表驱三维角度域Kirchhoff叠前时间偏移成像方法

针对传统Kirchhoff叠前时间偏移方法的一些不足,以及振幅随入射角、方位角变化(AVA/AVAZ)分析的需要,本文提出一种基于射线理论的三维叠前时间偏移角度域成像方法.它通过横向均匀介质中稳健的射线追踪建立单程波走时和传播角度的数值表,然后在此基础上估算反射波双程走时以及在界面处传播的方位角和入射角,最后基于脉冲响应叠加原理获得三维构造图像和方位\|角度域共成像点道集.与传统方法不同之处在于,上述过程均考虑了地震波在垂向变速介质中的射线弯曲效应和三维传播特征,有利于准确提取随入射角和方位角变化的振幅和时差信息.理论模型合成数据和实际地震资料测试结果展示了方法的优越性与实用性.     

THE INSENSITIVITY OF REFLECTED SH WAVES TO ANISOTROPY IN AN UNDERLYING LAYERED MEDIUM1

Propagation in the plane of mirror symmetry of a monoclinic medium, with displacement normal to the plane, is the most general circumstance in anisotropic media for which pure shear-wave propagation can occur at all angles. Because the pure shear mode is uncoupled from the other two modes, its slowness surface in the plane is an ellipse. When the mirror symmetry plane is vertical the pure shear waves in this plane are SH waves and the elliptical SH sheet of the slowness surface is, in general, tilted with respect to the vertical axis. Consider a half-space of such a monoclinic medium, called medium M, overlain by a half-space of isotropic medium I with plane SH waves incident on medium M propagating in the vertical symmetry plane of M. Contrary to the appearance of a lack of symmetry about the vertical axis due to the tilt of the SH-wave slowness ellipse, the reflection and transmission coefficients are symmetrical functions of the angle of incidence, and further, there exists an isotropic medium E with uniquely determined density and shear speed which gives exactly the same reflection and transmission coefficients underlying medium J as does monoclinic medium M. This means that the underlying monoclinic medium M can be replaced by isotropic medium E without changing the reflection and transmission coefficients for all values of the angle of incidence. Thus no set of SH seismic experiments performed in the isotropic medium in the symmetry plane of the underlying half-space can reveal anything about the monoclinic anisotropy of that underlying half-space. Moreover, even when the underlying monoclinic half-space is stratified, there exists a stratified isotropic half-space that gives the identical reflection coefficient as the stratified monoclinic half-space for all angles of incidence and all frequencies.     

TI介质局部角度域射线追踪与叠前深度偏移成像

研究与实践表明,对于长偏移距、宽方位地震数据,忽略各向异性会明显降低成像质量,影响储层预测与描述的精度.针对典型的横向各向同性(TI)介质,本文面向深度域构造成像与偏移速度分析的需要,研究基于射线理论的局部角度域叠前深度偏移成像方法.它除了像传统Kirchhoff叠前深度偏移那样输出成像剖面和炮检距域的共成像点道集,还遵循地震波在成像点处的局部方向特征、基于扩展的脉冲响应叠加原理获得入射角度域和照明角度域的成像结果.为了方便快捷地实现TI介质射线走时与局部角度信息的计算,文中讨论和对比了两种改进的射线追踪方法:一种采用从经典各向异性介质射线方程演变而来的由相速度表征的简便形式;另一种采用由对称轴垂直的TI(即VTI)介质声学近似qP波波动方程推导出来的射线方程.文中通过坐标旋转将其扩展到了对称轴倾斜的TI(即TTI)介质.国际上通用的理论模型合成数据偏移试验表明,本文方法既适用于复杂构造成像,又可为TI介质深度域偏移速度分析与模型建立提供高效的偏移引擎.     

Azimuthally pre-stack seismic inversion for orthorhombic anisotropy driven by rock physics

Based on the long-wavelength approximation, a set of parallel vertical fractures embedded in periodic thin interbeds can be regarded as an equivalent orthorhombic medium. Rock physics is the basis for constructing the relationship between fracture parameters and seismic response. Seismic scattering is an effective way to inverse anisotropic parameters. In this study, we propose a reliable method for predicting the Thomsen’s weak anisotropic parameters and fracture weaknesses in an orthorhombic fractured reservoir using azimuthal pre-stack seismic data. First, considering the influence of fluid substitution in mineral matrix, porosity, fractures and anisotropic rocks, we estimate the orthorhombic anisotropic stiffness coefficients by constructing an equivalent rock physics model for fractured rocks. Further, we predict the logging elastic parameters, Thomsen’s weak parameters, and fracture weaknesses to provide the initial model constraints for the seismic inversion. Then, we derive the P-wave reflection coefficient equation for the inversion of Thomsen’s weak anisotropic parameters and fracture weaknesses. Cauchy-sparse and smoothing-model constraint regularization taken into account in a Bayesian framework, we finally develop a method of amplitude variation with angles of incidence and azimuth (AVAZ) inversion for Thomsen’s weak anisotropic parameters and fracture weaknesses, and the model parameters are estimated by using the nonlinear iteratively reweighted least squares (IRLS) strategy. Both synthetic and real examples show that the method can directly estimate the orthorhombic characteristic parameters from the azimuthally pre-stack seismic data, which provides a reliable seismic inversion method for predicting Thomsen’s weak anisotropic parameters and fracture weaknesses.     

非均匀正交各向异性特征参数地震散射反演方法研究

在长波长假设条件下,水平层状地层中发育一组垂直排列的裂缝构成了等效正交各向异性介质.各向异性参数与裂缝弱度参数的估算有助于非均匀各向异性介质的各向异性特征描述,而弹性逆散射理论是非均匀介质参数反演的有效途径.基于地震散射理论,我们首先推导了非均匀正交介质中纵波散射系数方程,并通过引入正交各向异性特征参数,提出了一种新颖的正交各向异性方位弹性阻抗参数化方法.为了提高反演的稳定性与横向连续性,我们发展了贝叶斯框架下的正交各向异性方位弹性阻抗反演方法,同时考虑了柯西稀疏约束正则化和平滑模型约束正则化,最终使用非线性的迭代重加权最小二乘策略实现了各向异性特征参数的稳定估算.模型和实际资料处理表明,反演结果与测井解释数据相吻合,证明了该方法能够稳定可靠地从方位叠前地震资料中获取各向异性特征参数,减小参数估算的不确定性,为非均匀正交介质的各向异性预测提供了一种高可靠性的地震反演方法.     

A new numerical model to compute photolysis rates and solar heating with anisotropic scattering in spherical geometry

For calculating photolysis rates and solar heating in the atmosphere, the radiation field has to be calculated very accurately. Previous investigations have shown that for large solar zenith angles a solution of the radiation equation which accounts for the Earth\’s curvature is needed. A new simplified version of the 3D radiation equation in spherical geometry allowing for anisotropic scattering is presented. The horizontal variation of physical quantities, the variation of the solar zenith angle with different longitude and latitude for the scattering calculation for one vertical column of air and any effects of refraction are neglected. A numerical model is introduced which efficiently solves this new 3D radiation equation accurately. The effects of anisotropic scattering are shown to be very important for the directional dependence of the scattered intensity. Anisotropic scattering by aerosols and air molecules can change the intensity in certain directions by up to 180% and 25%, respectively. However, most of these changes cancel each other out when averaged over all angles, so that the effect of anisotropic scattering for large solar zenith angles on the mean intensity (actinic flux) is much smaller, i.e. less than 10%. For the heating rates, the effect of anisotropic scattering for large solar zenith angles is even smaller, being less than a few percent. Generally, the effects of anisotropic scattering and the effects of including aerosols are the larger on higher altitudes the larger the solar zenith angle is. Results of the model are shown to compare well with results of previous investigations, including the independent work of Dahlback and Stamnes. The agreement is especially good in the case of isotropic scattering by air molecules and neglecting the effects of aerosols.     

Depth imaging in anisotropic media by symmetric non-stationary phase shift

We present a new depth‐imaging method for seismic data in heterogeneous anisotropic media. This recursive explicit method uses a non‐stationary extrapolation operator to allow lateral velocity variation, and it uses the relationship between phase angle and the spectral coordinates of seismic data to allow velocity variation with phase angle. A qualitative comparison of migration impulse responses suggests that, for an equivalent cost, the symmetric non‐stationary phase‐shift (SNPS) operator is superior to the phase‐shift plus interpolation (PSPI) operator, for very large depth intervals. To demonstrate the potential of the new method, seismic data from a physical model acquired over a transversely isotropic medium are imaged using a shot‐record migration based on the SNPS operator.     

SV波斜入射时不同水体模拟方法下超高水头船闸地震反应分析

基于黏弹性人工边界的地震动斜入射方法模拟平面SV波不同角度入射情况,分别采用声固耦合法和附加质量法模拟闸室内水体,研究超高水头船闸闸室位移、应力和塑性损伤等地震反应,对比两种水体模拟方法计算结果的异同。结果表明:(1)整体上,两种方法计算得出的左、右闸墙地震反应结果随入射角度变化的规律基本一致;左闸墙受拉损伤的最大值均出现在入射角15°时,右闸墙受拉损伤的最大值均出现在入射角35°时;地震波入射角度对超高水头船闸动力响应影响较大,设计时应考虑地震波斜入射的影响。(2)当入射角较大时,采用声固耦合法计算的闸墙相对位移极值、主应力极值和受拉损伤结果偏保守的概率更大,对超高水头船闸结构设计来说更为安全。(3)建议两种计算方法相互参考和校核,推荐采用偏安全的结果进行超高水头船闸结构设计。     

Effect of grain scale alignment on seismic anisotropy and reflectivity of shales

The elastic properties and anisotropy of shales are strongly influenced by the degree of alignment of the grain scale texture. In general, an orientation distribution function (ODF) can be used to describe this alignment, which, in practice, can be characterized by two Legendre coefficients. We discuss various statistical ODFs that define the alignment by spreading from a mean value; in particular, the Gaussian, Fisher and Bingham distributions. We compare the statistical models with an ODF resulting from pure vertical compaction (no shear strain) of a sediment. The compaction ODF may be used to estimate how the elastic properties and anisotropy evolve due to burial of clayey sediments. Our study shows that the three statistical ODFs produce almost identical correspondence between the two Legendre coefficients as a function of the spreading parameter, so that the spreading parameter of one ODF can be converted to the spreading parameter of another ODF. In most cases it is then sufficient to apply the spreading parameter for the ODF instead of the two Legendre coefficients. The effect of compaction on the ODF gives a slightly different correspondence between the two Legendre coefficients from that for the other models. In principle, this opens up the possibility of distinguishing anisotropy effects due to compaction from those due to other processes. We also study reflection amplitudes versus angle of incidence (AVA) for all wave modes, where shales having various ODFs overlie an isotropic medium. The AVA responses are modelled using both exact and approximation formulae, and their intercepts and gradients are compared. The modelling shows that the S‐wave velocity is sensitive to any perturbation in the spreading parameter, while the P‐wave velocity becomes increasingly sensitive to a perturbation of a less ordered system. Similar observations are found for the AVA of the P‐P and P‐SV waves. Modelling indicates that a combined use of the amplitude versus offset of P‐P and P‐SV reflected waves may reveal certain grain scale alignment properties of shale‐like rocks.     

Reflection and transmission of plane SH-waves in an initially stressed inhomogeneous anisotropic magnetoelastic medium

This study investigates the reflection and transmission of plane SH-waves in two semi-infinite anisotropic magnetoelastic media. The lower half-space is considered as initially stressed and inhomogeneous. The density of lower half-space is taken exponentially varying with depth. The solutions for half-spaces are obtained analytically. The expressions for reflection and transmission coefficient are obtained in the closed form subject to continuity conditions at the interfaces of anisotropic magnetoelastic half-spaces and the Snell’s law. It is found that these coefficients depend on the initial stress, inhomogeneity parameter, the magnetoelastic coupling parameter, and the angle at which wave crosses the magnetic field of the half-spaces. Numerical computations are performed for these coefficients for a specific model of two different anisotropic magnetoelastic half-spaces. The numerical results are illustrated by the graph of reflection and transmission coefficient versus the angle of incidence. In general, as the initial stress increases the reflection and transmission coefficient increases, the affect is more prominent for more than 10 GPa. Inhomogeneity in the density of the material also increases the reflection and transmission coefficient. The anisotropic magnetoelastic parameter and the angle at which the wave crosses the magnetic field for both the half-spaces have a quite significant effect on the reflection and transmission coefficient.     

Effect of fracture fill on frequency‐dependent anisotropy of fractured porous rocks

In fractured reservoirs, seismic wave velocity and amplitude depend on frequency and incidence angle. Frequency dependence is believed to be principally caused by the wave‐induced flow of pore fluid at the mesoscopic scale. In recent years, two particular phenomena, i.e., patchy saturation and flow between fractures and pores, have been identified as significant mechanisms of wave‐induced flow. However, these two phenomena are studied separately. Recently, a unified model has been proposed for a porous rock with a set of aligned fractures, with pores and fractures filled with two different fluids. Existing models treat waves propagating perpendicular to the fractures. In this paper, we extend the model to all propagation angles by assuming that the flow direction is perpendicular to the layering plane and is independent of the loading direction. We first consider the limiting cases through poroelastic Backus averaging, and then we obtain the five complex and frequency‐dependent stiffness values of the equivalent transversely isotropic medium as a function of the frequency. The numerical results show that, when the bulk modulus of the fracture‐filling fluid is relatively large, the dispersion and attenuation of P‐waves are mainly caused by fractures, and the values decrease as angles increase, almost vanishing when the incidence angle is 90° (propagation parallel to the fracture plane). While the bulk modulus of fluid in fractures is much smaller than that of matrix pores, the attenuation due to the “partial saturation” mechanism makes the fluid flow from pores into fractures, which is almost independent of the incidence angle.     

含天然气水合物沉积物的岩石物性模型与似海底反射层的AVA特征

研究含天然气水合物沉积物的岩石物性模型与似海底反射层的振幅随入射角变化(AVA)特征. 基于时间平均-Wood加权方程、三相介质波传播理论模型和弹性模量模型,计算并阐述含天然气水合物岩石弹性参数与水合物饱和度、含游离气岩石弹性参数与游离气饱和度的关系;给出不同模型AVA特征. 结果表明,不同天然气水合物饱和度、不同游离气饱和度的各种组合呈现形态相似但反射系数值不同的AVA特征.     

Dispersion splitting of Rayleigh waves in layered azimuthally anisotropic media

Rayleigh wave dispersion can be induced in an anisotropic medium or a layered isotropic medium. For a layered azimuthally anisotropic structure, traditional wave equation of layered structure can be modified to describe the dispersion behavior of Rayleigh waves. Numerical stimulation results show that for layered azimuthal anisotropy both the dispersion velocities and anisotropic parameters depend principally on anisotropic S-wave velocities. The splitting S-wave velocities may produce dispersion splitting of Rayleigh waves. Such dispersion splitting appears noticeable at azimuthal angle 45°. This feature was confirmed by the measured results of a field test. The fundamental mode splits into two branches at azimuthal angle 45° to the symmetry axis for some frequencies, and along the same direction the difference of splitting-phase velocities of the fundamental model reaches the maximum. Dispersion splitting of Rayleigh waves was firstly displayed for anisotropy study in dispersion image by means of multichannel analysis of surface waves, the image of which provides a new window for studying the anisotropic property of media.     

Wide‐azimuth angle gathers for anisotropic wave‐equation migration

Extended common‐image‐point gathers (CIP) constructed by wide‐azimuth TI wave‐equation migration contain all the necessary information for angle decomposition as a function of the reflection and azimuth angles at selected locations in the subsurface. The aperture and azimuth angles are derived from the extended images using analytic relations between the space‐ and time‐lag extensions using information which is already available at the time of migration, i.e. the anisotropic model parameters. CIPs are cheap to compute because they can be distributed in the image at the most relevant positions, as indicated by the geologic structure. If the reflector dip is known at the CIP locations, then the computational cost can be reduced by evaluating only two components of the space‐lag vector. The transformation from extended images to angle gathers is a planar Radon transform which depends on the local medium parameters. This transformation allows us to separate all illumination directions for a given experiment, or between different experiments. We do not need to decompose the reconstructed wavefields or to choose the most energetic directions for decomposition. Applications of the method include illumination studies in complex areas where ray‐based methods fail, and assuming that the subsurface illumination is sufficiently dense, the study of amplitude variation with aperture and azimuth angles.     

Impact of incident angles of P waves on the dynamic responses of long lined tunnels

The impact of the incident angle of earthquake motion on the seismic response of the long lined tunnels is studied. Based on the time‐domain finite element method with the viscous‐spring artificial boundary condition, the earthquake motion of oblique incidence is transformed into the equivalent nodal forces acting on the truncated boundary of finite element model. In the present work, the formulas of equivalent nodal forces for the plane P wave with arbitrary incident angle are deduced and implemented into the commercial software abaqus   1 . The effectiveness of the formulas and its implementation are demonstrated by two numerical examples with the reference solutions. The proposed method is applied to investigate the seismic responses of the long lined tunnels under the obliquely incident P waves. The numerical results indicate that the seismic responses of the long lined tunnels are highly affected by the incident angles of P waves. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Kirchhoff积分叠前时间偏移全方位角度道集生成方法与实现

方位角度域共成像点道集能够客观反映地下介质的速度、各向异性参数异常以及振幅随角度变化（AVA）和裂缝信息。传统Kirchhoff PSTM通常输出偏移距域共成像点道集,对于速度分析、各向异性分析、AVA分析、裂缝识别等均存在诸多不便。本文提出了基于走时梯度的Kirchhoff叠前时间偏移全方位角度集输出方法并提出工业上切实可行的实现方案。通过走时场梯度计算波场传播方向矢量,形成能够反映观测系统参数和波场传播情况的全方位角度域共成像点道集。为了在大规模地震数据Kirchhoff积分叠前时间偏移中输出全方位角度道集,本文给出基于输入道方式的偏移实现方法,采用逐条inline线进行线偏移成像,从而大大降低了全方位角度道集输出对计算机内存的压力,显著提高了Kirchhoff积分时间偏移输出全方位角度道集的可行性。三维盐丘模型测试和海上某区块三维实际资料试验证明了本文方法的正确性。