Controls of traveltime data and problems of the generalized reciprocal method

Abstract

Traveltime data required for 2D seismic refraction surveys are 2D first arrivals. To obtain a high degree of consistency between traveltime data and the seismic model, it is important to verify that traveltime data are appropriate for interpretation or an inversion process. Controls or checkpoints presented here inspect compatibility among traveltime data. Similar to the ray‐trace check on the consistency of interpretation, these controls provide an objective means of quality assessment of seismic refraction data.The theoretical aspects of the generalized reciprocal method (GRM) are studied because concerns have been raised regarding the accuracy of some interpretations using this method. The problem of the GRM is that the optimum XY value, which is the most important parameter in the method, is assumed to be twice the offset distance. Consequently, based on this unproven assumption, the efficacy of the optimum XY value is somewhat exaggerated.