Open AccessStatistical description of seismic reflection wavefields: a step towards quantitative interpretation of deep seismic reflection profiles
Author(s) -
Hurich C. A.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
geophysical journal international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.302
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1365-246X
pISSN - 0956-540X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-246x.1996.tb06019.x
Subject(s) - reflection (computer programming) , scattering , geology , seismic wave , seismology , field (mathematics) , geophysics , mineralogy , optics , physics , mathematics , computer science , programming language , pure mathematics
Seismic modelling designed to compare the statistics of a realistic acoustic impedance field with a statistical description of the resulting backscattered wavefield demonstrates a strong correlation between the spatial properties of the impedance field and the resulting wavefield. Experiments in the weak‐ and strong‐scattering regimes indicate significant and predictable differences in the spatial properties of the wavefield depending upon the scattering mode. Wavefields generated in a mixed‐scattering regime with concurrent weak and strong scattering are dominated by the strong‐scattering response. The results of these experiments suggest that the statistical description of reflection wavefields may provide a basis for the quantitative interpretation of the complex reflection wavefields most commonly observed in seismic reflection profiles across crystalline basement rocks, and a tool for extracting more of the information content of the seismic data.