Seismic velocities and thickness of horizontal and dipping subsurface layers

Summary A new approach to the determination of the interval and average seismic velocities and thickness of arbitrarily dipping subsurface rock layers from surface travel time measurement is presented. The method is referred to as thegeometric recursion. Its derivation is based upon the geometry of the seismic ray paths between a shotpoint and a geophone, and is basically an extension of Gardner's equation of dip correction. Travel time measurements at and distance between the shotpoint and the geophone and apparent dip angles of the layers are needed in using the techniques. The values determined with the new method are compared with those from two existing methods that are applicable only for the horizontal layers. The accuracy and shortcomings of these methods are then analyzed and discussed with real examples as illustrations. The main computing technique used in the method is the iterative approximation of the undetermined but interrelated subsurface parameters in common loops. The method is practical to use, particularly when the travel time measurements in an area are not redundant. Its efficiency is dependent primarily upon the accuracy of the travel time measurements as well as the effective control of the shortcomings of the method.