New 3D Wave Attribute Modelling Tools for Microseismic Monitoring Processing: Traveltimes, Amplitude and Polarization

Microseismic monitoring has many applications that need very precise tools to model wave propagation through complex structures in order to obtain acceptable results. Here we propose a new set of accurate tools to compute numerically the wave attributes such as traveltimes, amplitudes and polarization. Our numerical scheme assumes spherical wave fronts that enables us to avoid source singularities due to plane wave assumption. We thus obtain very accurate gradients of the traveltimes, which are needed to compute correct amplitudes and polarization. Furthermore, in high contrast velocity models, traveltime gradients are generally discontinuous due to refracted arrivals. We compute amplitudes and polarization jointly to the traveltimes to have correct gradients and consequently better results of amplitudes and polarizations. These attributes are necessary for focal mechanism computation, detection sensibility estimation and microseisms location.