Traveltime tomography and prestack depth migration for vertical seismic profiling of an angle-domain walkaway on a complex surface

Walkaway VSP cannot obtain accurate velocity field,as it asymmetrically reflects ray path and provides uneven coverage to underground target,thereby presenting issues related to imaging quality.In this study,we propose combining traveltime tomography and prestack depth migration for VSP of an angle-domain walkaway,in a bid to establish accurate two-dimensional and three-dimensional(3 D)velocity models.First,residual curvature was defined to update velocity,and an accurate velocity field was established.To establish a high-precision velocity model,we deduced the relationship between the residual depth and traveltime of common imaging gathers(CIGs)in walkaway VSP.Solving renewal velocity using the least squares method,a four-parameter tomographic inversion equation was derived comprising formation dip angle,incidence angle,residual depth,and sensitivity matrix.In the angle domain,the reflected wave was divided into up-and down-transmitted waves and their traveltimes were calculated.The systematic cumulative method was employed in prestack depth migration of a complex surface.Through prestack depth migration,the offset-domain CIGs were obtained,and dip angle was established by defining the stack section horizon.Runge–Kutta ray tracing was employed to calculate the ray path from the reflection point to the detection point,to determine the incident angle,and to subsequently calculate the ray path from the reflection point to the irregular surface.The offset-domain residual depths were mapped to the angle domain,and a new tomographic equation was established and solved.Application in the double complex area of the Tarim Basin showed the four-parameter tomographic inversion equation derived in this paper to be both correct and practical and that the migration algorithm was able to adapt to the complex surface.

Near-surface model reconstruction using pseudo well-surface simultaneous travel time tomographic inversion

The static correction of a near-surface model may be improved by using travel time tomographic inversion.We discuss unfavorable factors in the inversion of surface seismic waves that have been analyzed by the first break.These factors show that sources and geophones arranged on the surface,or close to the surface,give a first break that only includes the direct wave and the up going wave from the down going to up going transition.These up going waves have weak directivity when they arrive at a geophone and so the rays passing through the grids have small directional differences and a narrow azimuth.Drawing lessons from the advantages of Vertical Seismic Profiling(VSP) acquisition mode we describe a pseudo well-surface simultaneous travel time tomographic inversion of a near-surface model.The well depth should be increased in the surface seismic study to produce a pure up going wave,to enhance the verticality of the rays and to increase the azimuth and shorten path length of the rays.Simulations of the effect of well depth on a pseudo well-surface simultaneous travel time tomographic inversion model are reported.The results show that the static corrections are improved significantly when the well depth extends below the weathered or sub-weathered layers.The root mean square error of the statics is 1.14 or 0.93 ms for these two situations,respectively.

3D near-surface P-wave velocity structure imaging with Distributed Acoustic Sensing and electric hammer source

Distributed Acoustic Sensing(DAS) is an emerging technique for ultra-dense seismic observation, which provides a new method for high-resolution sub-surface seismic imaging. Recently a large number of linear DAS arrays have been used for two-dimensional S-wave near-surface imaging in urban areas. In order to explore the feasibility of three-dimensional(3D) structure imaging using a DAS array, we carried out an active source experiment at the Beijing National Earth Observatory. We deployed a 1 km optical cable in a rectangular shape, and the optical cable was recast into 250 sensors with a channel spacing of 4 m. The DAS array clearly recorded the P, S and surface waves generated by a hammer source. The first-arrival P wave travel times were first picked with a ShortTerm Average/Long-Term Average(STA/LTA) method and further manually checked. The P-wave signals recorded by the DAS are consistent with those recorded by the horizontal components of short-period seismometers. At shorter source-receiver distances, the picked P-wave arrivals from the DAS recording are consistent with vertical component recordings of seismometers, but they clearly lag behind the latter at greater distances.This is likely due to a combination of the signal-to-noise ratio and the polarization of the incoming wave. Then,we used the Tomo DD software to invert the 3D P-wave velocity structure for the uppermost 50 m with a resolution of 10 m. The inverted P-wave velocity structures agree well with the S-wave velocity structure previously obtained through ambient noise tomography. Our study indicates the feasibility of 3D near-surface imaging with the active source and DAS array. However, the inverted absolute velocity values at large depths may be biased due to potential time shifts between the DAS recording and seismometer at large source-receiver distances.

Sensors layout optimization in explosion overpressure field reconstruction

The paper proposes four indicators to guide sensors layout in practical experiment on explosion overpressure filed construction based on tomographic method with high reconstruction accuracy and the least sensors. First, genetic algorithm is adopted to conduct global search and sensor layout optimization method is selected to satisfy four indicators. Then, by means of Matlab, the variation of these four indicators with different sensor layouts and reconstruction accuracy are analyzed and discussed. The results indicate that the sensor layout method proposed by this paper can reconstruct explosion overpressure field at the highest precision by a minimum number of sensors. It will guide actual explosion experiments in a cost-effective way.

Crustal P-wave velocity structure of the Longmenshan region and its tectonic implications for the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

The P-wave velocity structure of the crust in the Longmenshan region has been imaged by seismic travel time tomography us ing local and regional first P-wave arrivals recorded from 2000 to 2008. The tomographic model provides a way to analyze the deep tectonics of the Longmenshan fault belt and the tectonic implications for the 2008 Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake. The P-wave velocity images indicate that the initial rupture site and focal depth of the Wenchuan earthquake, together with the di rection of rupture propagation, closely relate to the crustal structure of the Longmenshan region. The Pengguan massif to the west of the Longmenshan fault belt is characterized by high velocity anomalies, suggesting that the crust has a strong strain strength that can accumulate large stresses over a long period. The Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake is located at the southwestern end of the Pengguan massif and the western edge of the Sichuan Basin. The collision between the Pengguan massif and the Sichuan Basin becomes the primary reason for the occurrence of the Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake. To the north of Wenchuan, the occurrence and propagation of rupture benefit from low velocity anomalies along the Longmenshan fault belt; whereas to the south of Wenchuan, the brittle rupture can occur with more difficulty in relatively weak crust with low velocities. This may be one of the reasons for the absence of aftershocks to the south of Wenchuan, and the rupture induced by the Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake propagating from the north to the south along the Longmenshan fault belt. The deep geodynamics of the Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake may occur due to the discrepancy of crustal structures on the two sides of the Longmenshan fault belt. Ductile deformation and crustal flow can easily occur in the weak middle-lower crust beneath the Songpan-Garze orogenic belt. The eastward movement of the Tibetan Plateau is obstructed by the rigid lithosphere of the Sichuan Basin, and then the thick ening of the middle-lower crust and vertical deformation occur in the crust of the Longmenshan fault belt. In addition, the down-warping of the Moho and the basement thrusting onto the range front induced crustal deformation and strain accumula tion, which provided the potential energy to trigger the occurrence of the Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake.