Synthetic vertical seismic profile

Abstract

A time‐domain model has been developed for calculation of a synthetic vertical seismic profile (SVSP) from a sonic log recorded in a borehole. The SVSP has proven to be extremely useful in the interpretation of seismic data since it allows the interpreter to analyze the propagation of the source pulse through the earth in depth as well as time. Previously, the synthetic seismogram technique allowed analysis of the earth’s response to the source pulse at the surface only. However, the development of the SVSP allows insight into the entire wave propagation problem since the calculation shows the response of the earth to the source pulse at any depth point in the subsurface. For example, the synthetic seismogram can be used to identify an event on the seismic section as a multiple, whereas, the SVSP cannot only identify a multiple, but can also show which path the source pulse took through the earth layers to create the multiple. The SVSP can also be used to analyze the change in character of the source pulse due to the layering effect of the earth, for example, effects of a thin bed sequence; to study amplitude variations due to transmission losses; and to examine the effects of different source pulse bandwidths on the final surface seismogram, etc. As interpreters gain experience in analyzing the SVSP, many more applications are expected to appear.

Deterministic Estimation of a Wavelet Using Impedance Type Technique*

“…We have tested the proposed methods of wavelet estimation and deconvolution on synthetic seismograms. An effective way for creating a one-dimensional synthetic seismogram was given by Wyatt (1981). The work of Wyatt deals with Vertical Seismic Profiles but it is also a powerful way to obtain a synthetic seismogram for any source-receiver configuration.…”

Pressure in a fluid‐filled borehole caused by a seismic source in stratified media

“…Numerical simulation of elastic wave propagation in crosswell seismic profiling and vertical seismic profile (VSP) configurations has been extensively studied in recent years (Wyatt, 1981;Temme and Mueller, 1982;Sullivan, 1984;Suprajitno and Greenhalgh, 1986;Schmidt and Tango, 1986;Aminzadeh, 1989). These methods are suited to modeling only downhole geophone data at low frequencies, since the boreholes are not properly included.…”

An Algorithm for Fast Time‐domain Computation of One‐dimensional Synthetic Vertical Seismic Profiles*

“…Since the early sixties many articles have been published on different aspects of solving the one-dimensional wave equation to obtain synthetic seismograms and lately, also SVSPs. Baranov and Kunetz (1960), Wuenschel (1960), Trorey (1962), Sherwood and Trorey (1965), Darby and Neidell(1966), Claerbout (1968), Robinson and Treitel (1977), Wyatt (1981) and Choate (1982), are all working with a time domain solution and a Goupillaud layered model. Further, the following authors utilize arbitrary horizontally layered models : Berryman, Goupillaud and Waters (1958), Nielsen (1978) and Ganley (1981): they perform computations in the Fourier domain and therefore may include all kinds of absorption models.…”