P-S Conversion Point in Anisotropic Media – Errors due to Isotropic Considerations

D-12 P-S CONVERSION POINT IN ANISOTROPIC MEDIA – ERRORS DUE TO ISOTROPIC CONSIDERATIONS Abstract 1 The determination of the exact position of the conversion point is an important theme of converted-wave seismology. Frequently this issue is tackled considering the rock formation as isotropic. This simplified approach may lead to significant errors due the anisotropic features of the Earth. Even for the simplest anisotropic case (VTI symmetry) the discrepancy between the true position of the conversion point Xc and the one found by isotropic considerations XcISO can be in the order of hundreds of meters even for an offset/depth ratio (X/Z)