Quantifying uncertainties on the solution model of seismic tomography

Reflection tomography allows the determination of a propagation velocity model that fits the traveltime data associated with reflections of seismic waves in the subsurface. A least-squares formulation is used to compare the observed traveltimes and the traveltimes computed by the forward operator ba...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Inverse problems 2006-04, Vol.22 (2), p.525-538
Main Authors: Duffet, Carole, Sinoquet, Delphine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Earth Sciences
Exact sciences and technology
Physics
Sciences of the Universe
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Summary:Reflection tomography allows the determination of a propagation velocity model that fits the traveltime data associated with reflections of seismic waves in the subsurface. A least-squares formulation is used to compare the observed traveltimes and the traveltimes computed by the forward operator based on a ray tracing. The solution of this inverse problem is only one among many possible models. A linearized a posteriori analysis is then crucial to quantify the range of admissible models we can obtain from these data and the a priori information. The contribution of this paper is to propose a formalism which allows us to compute uncertainties on relevant geological quantities for a reduced computational time. Nevertheless, this approach is only valid in the vicinity of the solution model (linearized framework), complex cases may thus require a nonlinear approach. Application on a 2D real data set illustrates the linearized approach to quantify uncertainties on the solution of seismic tomography. Finally, the limitations of this approach are discussed.
ISSN:0266-5611
1361-6420
DOI:10.1088/0266-5611/22/2/009