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- Volume 50, Issue 1, 2002
Geophysical Prospecting - Volume 50, Issue 1, 2002
Volume 50, Issue 1, 2002
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The effect of subsurface pipes on apparent‐resistivity measurements
Authors Anna C. Vickery and Bruce A. HobbsSubsurface conducting pipes can be either a target or a noise source in geophysical surveying. Their effect as a noise source in resistivity imaging can be so severe as to render the geophysical data uninterpretable. A method is developed here for identifying, locating and removing the effects of subsurface conducting pipes from image data, thus revealing the background resistivity structure.
A previously known analytic solution for the potential distribution produced by current injection in a uniform half‐space containing an infinitely long conducting cylinder is used to calculate apparent resistivities corresponding to electrode arrays on the surface of the half‐space. Most results concern the Wenner array and an examination is made of the effects produced by varying the electrode spacing and the depth, size and orientation of the pipe with respect to the array. A method is developed for locating pipes in resistivity image data by cross‐correlation of the analytic solution with the measured field data. Pipe effects are then removed by multiplying each datum point in the measurements by the reciprocal of the corresponding value in the analytic solution. The success of the method is demonstrated by applications to synthetic data sets involving one or two pipes embedded in non‐uniform half‐spaces.
In further examples, the method is applied to some measured resistivity images from an ex‐industrial site (a former oil distribution terminal), where an electromagnetic survey had previously revealed a labyrinth of underground pipes. The method is shown to be successful in removing the effects of the pipes to reveal the underlying geology.
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Imaging magnetic sources using Euler's equation
By Shu‐Kun HsuABSTRACTThe conventional Euler deconvolution method has the advantage of being independent of magnetization parameters in locating magnetic sources and estimating their corresponding depths. However, this method has the disadvantage that a suitable structural index must be chosen, which may cause spatial diffusion of the Euler solutions and bias in the estimation of depths to the magnetic sources. This problem becomes more serious when interfering anomalies exist. The interpretation of the Euler depth solutions is effectively related to the model adopted, and different models may have different structural indices. Therefore, I suggest a combined inversion for the structural index and the source location from the Euler deconvolution, by using only the derivatives of the magnetic anomalies. This approach considerably reduces the diffusion problem of the location and depth solutions. Consequently, by averaging the clustered solutions satisfying a given criterion for the solutions, we can image the depths and attributes (or types) of the causative magnetic sources. Magnetic anomalies acquired offshore northern Taiwan are used to test the applicability of the proposed method.
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Detection and analysis of LNAPL using the instantaneous amplitude and frequency of ground‐penetrating radar data
More LessThis paper reports the results of using the ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) method to detect light non‐aqueous phase liquids (LNAPL) floating on the water table in an area where the thickness of LNAPL present ranges from a few centimetres to several decimetres. To understand the GPR response in this context, GPR theoretical models are calculated using information from the literature and hydrogeological field data. The study revealed that in the case of LNAPL floating on the water table in a static condition, there is an increase in the reflection amplitude from the water table due to the decrease in the capillary fringe. Nevertheless the amplitude of reflection from the water table can discriminate the contaminated from the non‐contaminated zone. Apart from an analysis of the real traces, the analysis of some attributes of the complex trace, instantaneous amplitude, phase and frequency, are also good tools to detect hydrocarbons floating on the water table. Such attributes, depending on both the signal frequency and the hydrocarbon thickness, can also give information about the thickness of the hydrocarbon layer. It is concluded that analysing the lateral variations in signal amplitude of the real trace and in the amplitude, phase and instantaneous frequency of the complex signal permits the delimiting of the area polluted by the hydrocarbon.
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A comparison of aeromagnetic levelling techniques with an introduction to median levelling
Authors Eirik Mauring, Les P. Beard, Ola Kihle and Mark A. SmethurstAeromagnetic data collected in areas with severe diurnal magnetic variations (auroral zones) are difficult to level. This paper describes levelling of an aeromagnetic survey where such conditions prevail, and where sophisticated levelling techniques are needed. Corrections based on piecewise low‐order polynomial functions are often used to minimize mis‐ties in aeromagnetic data. We review this technique and describe similar mis‐tie fitting methods based on low‐pass filter levelling, tensioned B‐spline levelling and median levelling. It is demonstrated that polynomial levelling, low‐pass filter levelling and tensioned B‐spline levelling depend on the careful editing of outlying mis‐ties to avoid the introduction of false anomalies. These three techniques are equally efficient at removing level errors. Median levelling also removes level errors efficiently, but it is more robust in the sense that mis‐tie editing is not required. This is due to the inherent noise‐removal capabilities of the median filter. After mis‐tie editing, the total field anomalies of the other three techniques closely resemble the unedited median‐levelled total field anomaly.
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Ray tracing in elliptical anisotropic media using the linear traveltime interpolation (LTI) method applied to traveltime seismic tomography
More LessThe linear traveltime interpolation (LTI) method is a suitable ray‐tracing technique for modelling first‐arrival times in isotropic media. LTI is extended to elliptical anisotropic media and applied to a tomographic inversion procedure. A theoretical formulation is first derived and then LTI implementation is discussed in terms of source–receiver arrays and cell size. The method is then combined with the tomographic inversion procedure adopted. The matching of the ray tracing with inversion in elliptical anisotropic media posed a double non‐linear problem. Thus two assumptions were made: the velocity in each cell is uniform and the main directions of anisotropy are known. To take into account the geometrical characteristics of the area under investigation (depth and velocity of the weathering, and thickness of the inner media), cells of varying size were considered. No hypothesis was made on anisotropy weakness.
The algorithm was first tested on synthetic models and then applied to a field survey. On comparing the results of the synthetic models and the field survey with those obtained with a linear raypath approximation, it was found that there were fewer data misfits.
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Second‐order interpolation of traveltimes
Authors Claudia Vanelle and Dirk GajewskiTo carry out a 3D prestack migration of the Kirchhoff type is still a task of enormous computational effort. Its efficiency can be significantly enhanced by employing a fast traveltime interpolation algorithm. High accuracy can be achieved if second‐order spatial derivatives of traveltimes are included in order to account for the curvature of the wavefront. We suggest a hyperbolic traveltime interpolation scheme that permits the determination of the hyperbolic coefficients directly from traveltimes sampled on a coarse grid, thus reducing the requirements in data storage. This approach is closely related to the paraxial ray approximation and corresponds to an extension of the well‐known method to arbitrary heterogeneous and complex media in 3D. Application to various velocity models, including a 3D version of the Marmousi model, confirms the superiority of our method over the popular trilinear interpolation. This is especially true for regions with strong curvature of the local wavefront. In contrast to trilinear interpolation, our method also provides the possibility of interpolating source positions, and it is 5–6 times faster than the calculation of traveltime tables using a fast finite‐difference eikonal solver.
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Stress‐dependent elastic anisotropy of sandstones
More LessElastic wave velocities in sandstones vary with stress due to the presence of discontinuities such as grain boundaries and microcracks within the rock. In the presence of non‐hydrostatic stress fields the elastic wave velocities in sandstones often show significant stress‐induced anisotropy. The elastic anisotropy due to any discontinuities within the rock can be written in terms of a second‐rank and a fourth‐rank tensor which quantify the effect on the elastic wave velocities of the orientation distribution and normal and shear compliances of the discontinuities. This allows elastic wave velocity measurements to be inverted to obtain the components of these tensors. Application of the method to ultrasonic velocity measurements made in a triaxial loading frame shows that a simple theory using only the second‐rank tensor allows the P‐wave stress‐induced anisotropy to be predicted to reasonable accuracy from the S‐wave anisotropy and vice versa, thus confirming the correctness of the underlying model. Deviations between the measurements and the predictions of this simplified theory are used to determine the ratio of the normal to shear compliance of the discontinuities. The discontinuities are found to be more compliant in shear than in compression.
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Poisson's ratio at high pore pressure
Authors José M. Carcione and Fabio CavalliniLaboratory investigations suggest that a precise relationship exists between Poisson's ratio, pore pressure and fluid type. Values of Poisson's ratio for dry samples are significantly smaller than those for fluid‐saturated samples. The values are anomalously high for high pore pressure, with the possibility of differentiating between gas‐saturated, brine‐saturated and oil‐saturated porous rocks.
The present study considers two overpressure models, based on oil/gas conversion and disequilibrium compaction, to obtain Poisson's ratio versus differential pressure (confining pressure minus pore pressure). The model results are in good agreement with experiments. Poisson's ratio is approximately constant at high differential pressures and increases (decreases) for saturated (dry) rocks at low differential pressures. Fluid type can be determined at all differential pressures from Poisson's ratio. The analysis is extended to the anisotropic case by computing the three Poisson's ratios of a transversely isotropic rock versus differential pressure. While one of them is practically independent of effective pressure, the others increase with increasing pore pressure. Experiments performed on cores under different pressure conditions, and calibration of the models with these data, provide a tool for inverting pore pressure from seismic data.
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Volumes & issues
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Volume 72 (2023 - 2024)
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Volume 71 (2022 - 2023)
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Volume 70 (2021 - 2022)
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Volume 69 (2021)
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Volume 68 (2020)
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Volume 67 (2019)
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Volume 66 (2018)
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Volume 65 (2017)
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Volume 64 (2015 - 2016)
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Volume 63 (2015)
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Volume 62 (2014)
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Volume 61 (2013)
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Volume 60 (2012)
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Volume 59 (2011)
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Volume 58 (2010)
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Volume 57 (2009)
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Volume 56 (2008)
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Volume 55 (2007)
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Volume 54 (2006)
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Volume 53 (2005)
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Volume 52 (2004)
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Volume 51 (2003)
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Volume 50 (2002)
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Volume 49 (2001)
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Volume 48 (2000)
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Volume 47 (1999)
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Volume 46 (1998)
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Volume 45 (1997)
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Volume 44 (1996)
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Volume 43 (1995)
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Volume 42 (1994)
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Volume 41 (1993)
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Volume 40 (1992)
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Volume 39 (1991)
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Volume 38 (1990)
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Volume 37 (1989)
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Volume 36 (1988)
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Volume 35 (1987)
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Volume 34 (1986)
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Volume 33 (1985)
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Volume 32 (1984)
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Volume 31 (1983)
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Volume 30 (1982)
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Volume 29 (1981)
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Volume 28 (1980)
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Volume 27 (1979)
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Volume 26 (1978)
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Volume 25 (1977)
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Volume 24 (1976)
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Volume 23 (1975)
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Volume 22 (1974)
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Volume 21 (1973)
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Volume 20 (1972)
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Volume 19 (1971)
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Volume 18 (1970)
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Volume 17 (1969)
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Volume 16 (1968)
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Volume 15 (1967)
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Volume 14 (1966)
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Volume 13 (1965)
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Volume 12 (1964)
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Volume 11 (1963)
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Volume 10 (1962)
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Volume 9 (1961)
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Volume 8 (1960)
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Volume 7 (1959)
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Volume 6 (1958)
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Volume 5 (1957)
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Volume 4 (1956)
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Volume 3 (1955)
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Volume 2 (1954)
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Volume 1 (1953)