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Published March 1992 | Published
Journal Article Open

Using constraints to address the instabilities of automated prestack velocity analysis

Abstract

Generalized prestack velocity analysis methods that use an automated approach to resolve laterally variable interval velocity fields are beset by a series of problems. The problem of resolving lateral velocity variations has inherent complications that prevent automated methods from being robust enough to be applied routinely to data from a variety of geologic provinces. The use of automated prestack velocity analysis methods will not eliminate the step of carefully producing an initial velocity model derived from regional geologic information and an interpretation of a conventionally processed section. For the methods to regularly produce useful additional information, the unique characteristics of each application must be input into the prestack velocity analysis with the use of inversion constraints. These constraints serve either to adapt the generalized prestack velocity analysis to a focused objective in a particular area or to provide iterative, interpretational tools that help the user produce a velocity model.

Additional Information

© 1992 Society of Exploration Geophysicists. Manuscript received by the Editor April 25, 1990; revised manuscript received August 12, 1991. This work summarizes some of my (Christof Stork) experience with thesis research. I appreciate the inspiration, wisdom, and support of my co-author while pursuing this work, which proved to be more compIicated than was expected at the outset. Numerous other people (Biondo Biondi, Ken Bube, James DiSeana, John Etgen, Paul Fowler, Sam Gray, Jean Luc Guiziou, Gene Humphreys, Bob Langan, Ronan Lebras, Larry Lines, John Louie, Peter Mora, Chuck Moser, Fabio Rocca, John Scales, Allan Skorpen, Jay Thorseth, John Toldi, Jos van Trier, Sven Treitel, John Vidale, Marty Williams, Dan Whitmore, and Marta Woodward among others) have my gratitude for their insightful comments. Some aspects of this work were performed during my post-doctoral position at the Stanford Exploration Project. This research was funded by a grant from Amoco and Robert W. Clayton's Presidential Young Investigators award. I thank Amoco, Arco, and Chevron for allowing me to pursue this work while employed with them for the summer. My exposure to data and seismic exploration through these companies were essential to this work. My wife Terri was instrumental in enabling me to finish this paper. This paper is contribution no. 4868 of the Department of Geological Sciences of the California Institute of Technology.

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August 20, 2023
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