Method for estimating shear wave reflection data from acquired compressional wave reflection data

Claim 1

A method of producing shear wave reflection information estimated from compressional wave reflection information comprising the steps of: generating descending acoustic waves from a plurality of acoustic wave sources and receiving and recording at a plurality of receivers ascending waves produced at a subsurface interface; gathering said recorded reflection waves into sets of different source-receiver offsets having a common reflection boundary; correcting said gathered reflection waves from normal moveout; correcting said normal moveout corrected waves for residual normal moveout by correcting stacking velocities of said normal moveout corrected waves according to the equation: ##EQU27## where: V new =new stacking velocity V old =old stacking velocity T o =two way travel time at normal incidence V o =reference velocity δV=differential between old and correct stacking velocity; measuring amplitudes of said gathered waves at given points in time for different source-receiver offset values; and determining directly from said measured amplitude offset values shear wave reflection information such that said information is equivalent to shear wave reflection information that would be obtained by direct measurement using shear waves.

Claim 2

A method of producing shear wave reflection information estimated from compressional wave reflection information comprising the steps of: generating descending acoustic waves from a plurality of acoustic wave sources and receiving and recording at a plurality of receivers ascending waves produced at a subsurface interface; gathering said recorded reflection waves into sets of different source-receiver offsets having a common reflection boundary; correcting said gathered reflection waves from normal moveout; correcting said normal moveout corrected waves for residual normal moveout by correcting stacking velocities of said normal moveout corrected waves according to the equation: ##EQU27## where: V new =new stacking velocity V old =old stacking velocity T o =two way travel time at normal incidence V o =reference velocity δV=differential between old and correct stacking velocity; measuring amplitudes of said gathered waves at given points in time for different source-receiver offset values; and determining directly from said measured amplitude offset values shear wave reflection information such that said information is equivalent to shear wave reflection information that would be obtained by direct measurement using shear waves.

Claim 4

A method for producing shear wave reflection information estimated from compressional wave reflection information comprising the steps of: generating descending acoustic waves from a plurality of acoustic wave sources and receiving and recording a plurality of receivers ascending waves produced at a subsurface interface; gathering said recorded reflection waves into sets of source-receiver offsets having a common reflection boundary; correcting said gathered reflection waves for normal moveout; correcting said normal moveout corrected waves for residual normal moveout; by correcting stacking velocities of said normal moveout corrected waves according to the equation: ##EQU28## where: V new =new stacking velocity V old =old stacking velocity T o =two way travel time at normal incidence V o =reference velocity δV=differential between old and correct stacking velocity; measuring amplitudes of said gathered waves at given points in time for different source-receiver offset values; determining for each said point in time a value G det which represents a quantified value of know factors which influence variations in said measured amplitudes with offset; estimating for each said point in time a component of amplitude variation with offset δG which is not due to a shear wave component and is not accounted for in G det ; and determining for each said point in time a shear wave reflectivity component in accordance with the following: ##EQU29## with P=R po and Q=GR po -8T 2 R so +(2T 2 -1/2)Δρ/ρ where, R po =normal incident compressional wave reflection coefficient R so =normal incident shear wave reflection coefficient T=average V s /V p , ρ=density G=totality of amplitude effects caused by said known factors which influence variations in the amplitude of the acoustic waves with offset, θ=incident angle of gathered trace, and A(θ)=a measured amplitude value for a trace of incident angle θ, so that the influence of said known factors on said measured acoustic waves are removed in determining shear wave reflection information.

Claim 5

A method for producing shear wave reflection information estimated from compressional wave reflection information comprising the steps of: generating descending acoustic waves from a plurality of acoustic wave sources and receiving and recording a plurality of receivers ascending waves produced at a subsurface interface; gathering said recorded reflection waves into sets of source-receiver offsets having a common reflection boundary; correcting said gathered reflection waves for normal moveout; correcting said normal moveout corrected waves for residual normal moveout; by correcting stacking velocities of said normal moveout corrected waves according to the equation: ##EQU28## where: V new =new stacking velocity V old =old stacking velocity T o =two way travel time at normal incidence V o =reference velocity δV=differential between old and correct stacking velocity; measuring amplitudes of said gathered waves at given points in time for different source-receiver offset values; determining for each said point in time a value G det which represents a quantified value of know factors which influence variations in said measured amplitudes with offset; estimating for each said point in time a component of amplitude variation with offset δG which is not due to a shear wave component and is not accounted for in G det ; and determining for each said point in time a shear wave reflectivity component in accordance with the following: ##EQU29## with P=R po and Q=GR po -8T 2 R so +(2T 2 -1/2)Δρ/ρ where, R po =normal incident compressional wave reflection coefficient R so =normal incident shear wave reflection coefficient T=average V s /V p , ρ=density G=totality of amplitude effects caused by said known factors which influence variations in the amplitude of the acoustic waves with offset, θ=incident angle of gathered trace, and A(θ)=a measured amplitude value for a trace of incident angle θ, so that the influence of said known factors on said measured acoustic waves are removed in determining shear wave reflection information.

Claim 6

A method of producing shear wave reflection information estimated from compressional wave reflection information comprising the steps of: generating descending acoustic waves from a plurality of acoustic wave sources and receiving and recording at a plurality of receivers ascending waves produced at a subsurface interface; gathering said recorded reflection waves into sets of different source-receiver offsets having a common reflection boundary; correcting said gathered reflection waves from normal moveout; correcting said normal moveout corrected curves for residual normal moveout by relating time shift δt to residual normal moveout as follows: T.sub.RES =T.sub.o -t (x.sup.2 / T.sub.o.sup.2 V.sub.o.sup.2) and δt=-(δV/V.sub.old)T.sub.o (V.sub.o /V.sub.old).sup.2, where, T RES =residual NMO time shift, T o =two-way travel time at normal incidence, V o reference velocity, and V old +δV=correct stacking velocity, and measuring amplitudes of said gathered waves at given points in time for different source-receiver offset values; and determining directly from said measured amplitude offset values shear wave reflection information such that said information is equivalent to shear wave reflection information that would be obtained by direct measurement using shear waves.

Claim 7

A method of producing shear wave reflection information estimated from compressional wave reflection information comprising the steps of: generating descending acoustic waves from a plurality of acoustic wave sources and receiving and recording at a plurality of receivers ascending waves produced at a subsurface interface; gathering said recorded reflection waves into sets of different source-receiver offsets having a common reflection boundary; correcting said gathered reflection waves from normal moveout; correcting said normal moveout corrected curves for residual normal moveout by relating time shift δt to residual normal moveout as follows: T.sub.RES =T.sub.o -t (x.sup.2 / T.sub.o.sup.2 V.sub.o.sup.2) and δt=-(δV/V.sub.old)T.sub.o (V.sub.o /V.sub.old).sup.2, where, T RES =residual NMO time shift, T o =two-way travel time at normal incidence, V o reference velocity, and V old +δV=correct stacking velocity, and measuring amplitudes of said gathered waves at given points in time for different source-receiver offset values; and determining directly from said measured amplitude offset values shear wave reflection information such that said information is equivalent to shear wave reflection information that would be obtained by direct measurement using shear waves.