S U M M A R Y Large scale seismic anisotropy in the Earth’s mantle is likely dynamically supported by the mantle’s deformation; therefore, tomographic imaging of 3-D anisotropic mantle seismic velocity structure is an important tool to understand the dynamics of the mantle. While many previous studies have focused on special cases of symmetry of the elastic properties, it would be desirable for...

We build on our earlier results (DE-FC52-06NA27324, Dreger et al., 2008; Ford et al., 2010; Ford et al., 2009a, b; Ford et al., 2008) in which it has been demonstrated that regional distance moment tensor analysis can discriminate explosions from naturally occurring earthquakes and mine collapses. In this project, as an effort to refine procedures for implementation we develop a more complete u...

In this study, we apply advanced numerical optimization techniques to extend the work of Imhof and Sharma (2005, 2006) to integrate geological and geophysical data and infer the sedimentary parameters that produce a match to seismic data. In particular, we seek to match not just event timing (phase) but also reflection strength (amplitude). This inverse problem of quantitatively matching presen...

Full waveform inversion (FWI) of seismic or Ground Penetrating Radar data provides high-resolution quantitative images of the constitutive parameters of the rock/soil which control seismic/GPR wave propagation. We developed a 2D inversion tool in the frequency domain adapted to the multi-parameter physics controlling GPR propagation in isotropic non dispersive media, i.e. dielectric permittivit...

Today, the major challenge in reservoir characterization is integrating data coming from different sources in varying scales, in order to obtain an accurate and high-resolution reservoir model. The role of seismic data in this integration is often limited to providing a structural model for the reservoir. Its relatively low resolution usually limits its further use. However, its areal coverage ...

Seismic waveforms contain much information that is ignored under standard processing schemes; seismic waveform inversion seeks to use the full information content of the recorded wavefield. In this paper I present, apply, and evaluate a frequency-space domain approach to waveform inversion. The method is a local descent algorithm that proceeds from a starting model to refine the model in order ...

2. Summary The Earth consists of the crust, mantle (Note #1), outer core and inner core (Note #2). The D" (pronounced “Dee double prime”) layer is the name given to the lowermost several hundred km of the mantle, directly below which is the molten outer core, which is composed primarily of iron. The temperature and chemical composition within D" vary rapidly as the distance to the core-mantle b...