Seismic Inversion

This book describes the theory and practice of inverting seismic data for the subsurface rock properties of the earth. The primary application is for inverting reflection and/or transmission data from engineering or exploration surveys, but the methods described also can be used for earthquake studies. Seismic Inversion will be of benefit to scientists and advanced students in engineering, earth sciences, and physics. It is desirable that the reader has some familiarity with certain aspects of numerical computation, such as finite-difference solutions to partial differential equations, numerical linear algebra, and the basic physics of wave propagation. For those not familiar with the terminology and methods of seismic exploration, a brief introduction is provided. To truly understand the nuances of seismic inversion, we have to actively practice what we preach (or teach). Therefore, computational labs are provided for most of the chapters, and some field data labs are given as well.

Gerard Schuster is currently a professor of geophysics at King Abdullah University Science and Technology (KAUST) and an adjunct professor at University of Utah and University of Wyoming. He was the founder and director of the Utah Tomography and Modeling/Migration consortium from 1987 to 2009 and is now the co-director and founder of the Center for Fluid Modeling and Seismic Imaging at KAUST. Schuster helped pioneer seismic interferometry and its practical applications in applied geophysics through his active research program and through his extensive publications. He also has extensive experience in developing innovative migration and inversion methods for both exploration and earthquake seismology.