Stratigraphic filtering and source penetration depth |
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| Authors: | Mirko van der Baan James Wookey Dirk Smit |
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| Institution: | School of Earth and Environment, Earth Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK;, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, UK;, and Shell International Exploration and Production, Volmerlaan 8, Postbus 60, 2280 AB Rijswijk, The Netherlands |
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| Abstract: | Seismic exploration underneath highly heterogeneous layers such as basalt flows is possible by lowering the principal source frequency. Unfortunately this also reduces resolution. Wave‐localization theory is a multiple scattering theory that can be used to study stratigraphic filtering in chaotic lithologies. It predicts the apparent attenuation due to scattering of a plane wave traversing a layer with high velocity fluctuations. It can therefore predict the optimum principle source frequency in the trade‐off between loss of resolution and increased penetration depth. We show how this can be done with the help of a few statistical parameters derived from a well‐log analysis; namely, the average background velocity, the expected standard deviation in the velocity fluctuations, the typical scale length of the heterogeneities and the thickness of the basalt layer. In the likely situation that no local well logs exist, a multitude of scenarios can easily be examined at low cost. |
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