Singular value decomposition of the velocity‐reflector depth tradeoff, Part 2: High‐resolution analysis of a generic model

Abstract

The symmetries of a block circulant matrix significantly reduce the computational expense of the singular value decomposition (SVD) of the variable velocity inverse problem for a generic reflection seismology model. As a result, the decomposition does not suffer from edge effects or parameterization artifacts that are associated with small model spaces. Using this approach, we study the eigenvector and eigenvalue characteristics for a generic model of a size as large as is used with a variety of iterative inversion techniques (>100 000 parameters). Singular value decomposition of the raypath inverse problem of a discretized generic seismic model having one reflector indicates that the eigenvalue distribution for the inverse problem is nonuniform, with a large concentration near 0 and a gap near 0.4. All but the long horizontal wavelength reflector‐depth variations cannot be uniquely resolved from velocity variations. Lateral velocity variations serve to significantly reduce the ability of seismic data to resolve reflector depth for most of the horizontal wavelength components shorter than twice the cable length. As a result, automatic velocity analysis methods may not be able to resolve reflector variations when the velocity field is allowed to take on an arbitrary structure.