SEISMIC INVERSION

BASICS, PROCEDURE, &

LIMITATION
ection and inversion
 BASICS
 The estimation of subsurface physical properties by observed
geophysical data is known as “geophysical inversion”,

 Inversion technique can be used to any geophysical data like

Gravity, magnetic and seismic etc.

eismic data for the inversion

 Seismic Inversion create a model of earth's physical property by

using the seismic data as input.

 Seismic inversion can be applied “AFTER SATCK” and “BEFORE

STACK”

 Both inversions have totally different assumptions. Inversion After

stack based on Zero offset assumption and Before stack multi-
offset assumption.
 BASICS
MPEDANCE INVERSION
mally known as seismic inversion
ocessed stacked data i.e. on seismic section

TUDE VS OFFSET
 Normally known as AVO
on pre stack data i.e. on CMP gathers

 A new inversion technique Hybrid of AI inversion and AVO is also

working, known as Elastic Inversion
WARD MODELLING

verse of forward modeling

ng of Forward modeling is important

 Practical example of Forward Modeling is generation of synthetic

seismogram from sonic and density log.
RWARD MODELLING
DENSITY IMPEDENCE SEISMIC SYNTHETIC
RC SERIES SEISMIC
SONIC LOG LOG LOG WAVELET

R1
v1 d1 A1

vn
dn An Rn

VELOCITY (v) DENSITY (d) A=vxd (A2 - A1) S= RC * WL

RC = WL
(A2 + A1)
 INVERSION
ried out in following steps
This step is similar to
deconvolution.
Input Data (Seismic Trace)
First we extract or calculate
seismic wavelet.
Conversion of Seismic
STEP-1 trace into Reflectivity
Then its inverse.

Series (RC) By deconvolving this inverse

with trace we get RC

Conversion of
STEP-2 reflectivity series into
Acoustic
Impedance log

Conversion of AI log into

STEP-2 Velocity log (Sonic)

Conversion of Sonic
into other attributes
like, Porosity etc.
 INVERSION
SEISMIC SEISMIC INVERSE IMPEDENCE DENSITY PSEUDO
TRACE WAVELET WAVELET RC SERIES LOG LOG SONIC LOG

R1 A1 d1 v1

Rn An dn vn

S= RC * WL WL WL-1 RC = S * WL-1 A2 1+RC1 DENSITY (d) VELOCITY (v)

=
A1 1-RC1
PE OF AI INVERSION
ACOUSTIC IMPEDANCE
INVERSION

Deterministic Inversion Probabilistic or Stochastic

Inversion

MODEL SPARSE RECURSIVE

BASED SPIKE INVERSION
INVERSION INVERSION

 Sparse Spike and Model Based inversions are commonly used in

industry
 Sparse spike inversion is also known as Constrained Sparse Spike
Inversion
SPARSE SPIKE
INVERSION
E SPIKE INVERSION
ASUMPTIONS
 Based on assumption that major lithological boundaries
represent large events in reflectivity series.
are superimposed on smaller events (noise)
 Larger events are the spikes on reflectivity
series  Theoretical procedure of SSI is given
below
 We start with initial estimate of wavelet WAVELET
ESTIMATE
Calculate Reflectivity

Improve the wavelet

Calculate Reflectivity

This procedure is done in iterative way ESTIMATE

IMPROVE
SPARSE
WAVELET
REFLECTIVITY
For Detail Ref: Chapter-6, Introduction to seismic
inversion methods, Brain H. Russel
E SPIKE INVERSION
CTICAL WORKING

 Estimation of Wavelet, its Inverse and Reflectivity Series

(RC)  Inversion of RC
eration of low frequency model

 Addition of low frequency model into inversion results

 Conversion to Inversion results into porosity
 E SPIKE INVERSION
TION OF WAVELET Wavelet Estimation
 Iterative process Schematic
 Generate RC from well (s)
data  Extract wavelet from
seismic trace
Generate Synthetic
Seismic line
mpare Synthetic with seismic through well
 Calculate error
Wavelet extraction
 Update wave let
 Repeat process until we get
minimum error

WELL DATA
SONIC & Trace from
DENSITY LOGS Well

ERROR

RC Series Synthetic Trace

Comparison
E SPIKE INVERSION
Trace RC
TION OF RC SERIES
 We have a Wavelet
 Calculate its Inverse
 Convolve this inverse with all
seismic data
 Commonly known as stratigraphic
de-convolution
 Now all traces converted to RC
Series
Wavelet
Inverse
=
*
 E SPIKE INVERSION
D POROSITY CALCULATION
we calculate Acoustic Impedance (AI) logs
A2 1+RC1
=
A1 1-RC1

erted to velocity logs (AI = V x D)

 Now all data traces are in velocity logs i.e. Pseudo Sonic
logs  From these sonic logs we can calculate porosity.
 E SPIKE INVERSION
LOW FREQUENCY MODEL
we add low frequency model
w frequencies are missing from seismic data as

We do not record them due to ground roll problem

Eliminated during processing due to noise
Limitation of the recording geophones

 Absence of low frequency can show false impedance layers on

the final data
Inversion without low frequency
Full Band Inversion
E SPIKE INVERSION
LOW FREQUENCY MODEL
ration of low frequency model
Low frequencies calculated from
Filtered Sonic log (s)

Seismic velocity Analysis

From geological model

Each method has its limitation, but normally a combination of

sonic and seismic velocity data used

 Low frequency can be added either at reflectivity or

impedance stage
g at reflectivity stage is good
MODEL BASED
INVERSION
L BASED INVERSION
TICAL WORKING
stimation of Wavelet
n of initial Impedance model
Updating Impedance model after comparing synthetic and
original seismic
is one which have least error.
L BASED INVERSION
nce model building
It is based on picked time horizons and well log data First we
define horizontal Impedance layers changing w.r.t. wells Then
these layer divided into small cells making grid Every grid
node has a value of time and Impedance
The value of Impedance can be constant or linear changing
vertically Commonly a vertically changing layer is used
d model updated and node values changed
Impedance layers based on wells Initial grid of impedance layers
rizon from seismic data
and time horizons
L BASED INVERSION
 SSI vs. MBI
SPIKE INVERSION  MODEL BASED INVERSION
ismic data itself used Seismic data not directly used
hances of getting non Chances of getting non
ologically output are low geologically output are high
ise is severe problem Noise is not as severs as in SSI
 Resolution is low Resolution is high
es can use as false layers Multiples are easily handled
equency model have to be Low frequency model is included
added separately in the algorithm
SSI MBI
TION OF INVERSION
There are two major limitation of inversion method
Non uniqueness
Thin bed tuning

n get many answer for one seismic data

Seismic data
If we have

Different impedance models to fit same

X + Y = 10 seismic
es of X & Y can fit to get 10

4 + 6 = 10

5 + 5 = 10
7 + 3 = 10
So many
TION OF INVERSION
ndle non uniqueness
Defining the constraints i.e. geological input or common
sense about the model

Seismic data
If we have

We can say our model has thick sand unit

X + Y = 10 with some %age of shale

We can say X & Y are even, greater than 2

and less than 8

4 + 6 = 10

we have only one solution

TION OF INVERSION
in bed Tuning
Tuning is the interference effect of the
seismic reflection from top and bottom
of the thin bed
It causes artificial changes in amplitude
hence Impedance

Inversion results
Seismic data showing showing artificial
True Impedance model tuning effect impedance