Modeling Seismic Amplitude Attenuation – Q-Absorption Perspective

Seismic imaging in heterogeneous media is complex. This is due to the integration of the wave equation is no longer gives simple Green’s Function analytical solutions. Calculation of the Green’s Functions must be done kinematically to estimate travel times from sources to receivers (τ). Dynamically, the amplitudes are affected by anelastic attenuation, spherical divergence and the directivity pattern of the wavefronts in the velocity model. Reflection and transmission coefficients that produced amplitudes received at the receivers are also affected by the directional of the acquisition arrays and must be analyzed at every major acoustic impedance interfaces (Robein, 2003). Attenuation and dispersion effects have been modeled using a complex velocity (Aki and Richards,<br>1980). Wang (2004) proposed method using Gabor transform to estimate P-wave amplitude attenuation in the seismic due to Q-absorption, that is also called Qp factor, and applied the Q-attenuation inverse filter for correction. Chapman et. al. (2005) has shown that via laboratory experiment, the near surface scattering due to heterogeneities can give the same effect as Q-attenuation. He showed that body waves as it hits the scatterers produced secondary wavefronts that creates secondary Rayleigh waves and can be suppressed using near receivers multi-channel inverse filter.