2-D full-wavefield inversion for wide-aperture, elastic, seismic data

Abstract

Full-wavefield inversion of two-component (elastic), wide-aperture, seismic data from surface sources and receivers simultaneously provides 2-D estimates of both P and SV velocity distributions. The algorithm operates on common-source gathers; it involves cross-correlation of propagating source and residual wavefields to define the steepest descent direction used to update the velocities at each point in a 2-D finite-difference grid. The solution is stable even in the presence of random noise and when the input traces are unequally spaced. Examples include a stack of flat layers and a folded and faulted structure.