Elastic orthorhombic anisotropic parameter inversion: An analysis of parameterization

Oh, Juwon; Alkhalifah, Tariq Ali

Elastic orthorhombic anisotropic parameter inversion: An analysis of parameterization

Files

geo2015-06562E1.pdf (6.18 MB)

Type

Article

Authors

Oh, Juwon

Alkhalifah, Tariq Ali

KAUST Department

Earth Science and Engineering Program
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division
Seismic Wave Analysis Group

Online Publication Date

2016-09-15

Print Publication Date

2016-11

Date

2016-09-15

Abstract

The resolution of a multiparameter full-waveform inversion (FWI) is highly influenced by the parameterization used in the inversion algorithm, as well as the data quality and the sensitivity of the data to the elastic parameters because the scattering patterns of the partial derivative wavefields (PDWs) vary with parameterization. For this reason, it is important to identify an optimal parameterization for elastic orthorhombic FWI by analyzing the radiation patterns of the PDWs for many reasonable model parameterizations. We have promoted a parameterization that allows for the separation of the anisotropic properties in the radiation patterns. The central parameter of this parameterization is the horizontal P-wave velocity, with an isotropic scattering potential, influencing the data at all scales and directions. This parameterization decouples the influence of the scattering potential given by the P-wave velocity perturbation fromthe polar changes described by two dimensionless parameter perturbations and from the azimuthal variation given by three additional dimensionless parameters perturbations. In addition, the scattering potentials of the P-wave velocity perturbation are also decoupled from the elastic influences given by one S-wave velocity and two additional dimensionless parameter perturbations. The vertical S-wave velocity is chosen with the best resolution obtained from S-wave reflections and converted waves, little influence on P-waves in conventional surface seismic acquisition. The influence of the density on observed data can be absorbed by one anisotropic parameter that has a similar radiation pattern. The additional seven dimensionless parameters describe the polar and azimuth variations in the P- and S-waves that we may acquire, with some of the parameters having distinct influences on the recorded data on the earth's surface. These characteristics of the new parameterization offer the potential for a multistage inversion from high symmetry anisotropy to lower symmetry ones. © 2016 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

Citation

Oh J-W, Alkhalifah T (2016) Elastic orthorhombic anisotropic parameter inversion: An analysis of parameterization. GEOPHYSICS 81: C279–C293. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1190/GEO2015-0656.1.

Acknowledgements

Research reported in this publication was supported by competitive research funding from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). For computer time, this research used the resources of the Supercomputing Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. We would like to thank the reviewer D. Köhn and three anonymous reviewers as well as the editors J. Shragge and S. Operto for their fruitful and constructive comments to improve the paper. We also thank the members of Seismic Wave Analysis Group in KAUST for the helpful discussions. Particularly, we would like to thank N. Masmoudi in KAUST for fruitful comments about the deviation parameters and V. Kazei at KAUST for finding some mathematical errors.