Seismic Signatures and Analysis of Reflection Data in Anisotropic Media

This is the third edition of Ilya Tsvankin’s reference volume on seismic anisotropy and application of anisotropic models in reflection seismology. Seismic Signatures and Analysis of Reflection Data in Anisotropic Media, (Geophysical References Series No. 19), provides essential background information about anisotropic wave propagation, introduces efficient notation for transversely isotropic (TI) and orthorhombic media, and identifies the key anisotropy parameters for imaging and amplitude analysis. To gain insight into the influence of anisotropy on a wide range of seismic signatures, exact solutions are simplified in the weak-anisotropy approximation. Particular attention is given to moveout analysis and P-wave time-domain processing for transverse isotropy with a vertical (VTI) and tilted (TTI) symmetry axis. Description of the amplitude-variation-with-offset (AVO) response of P- and S-waves in TI media shows that anisotropy may cause serious distortions in both the reflection coefficient and geometrical-spreading factor. The far-reaching benefits of anisotropic processing methods are demonstrated on synthetic examples and field data.