Seismic Ray Theory

SEISMIC RAY THEORY Seismic Ray Theory presents the most comprehensive treatment of the seismic ray method available. This method plays an important role in seismology, seismic exploration, and the interpretation of seismic measurements. The book presents a consistent treatment of the seismic ray method, based on the asymptotic high-frequency solution of the elastodynamic equation. At present, this is the most general and powerful approach to developing the seismic ray method. High-frequency seismic body waves, propagating in complex three-dimensional, laterally varying, isotropic or anisotropic, layered and block structures are considered. Equations controlling the rays, travel times, amplitudes, Green functions, synthetic seismograms, and particle ground motions are derived, and the relevant numerical algorithms are proposed and discussed. Many new concepts, which extend the possibilities and increase the efficiency of the seismic ray method, are included. The book has a tutorial character: derivations begin with a relatively simple problem in which the main ideas are easier to explain and then advance to more complex problems. Most of the derived equations in the book are expressed in algorithmic form and may be used directly for computer programming. The equations and proposed numerical procedures find broad applications in numerical modeling of seismic wavefields in complex 3-D structures and in many important inversion methods (tomography and migration among others). Seismic Ray Theory will prove to be an invaluable advanced textbook and reference volume in all academic institutions in which seismology is taught or researched. It will also be an invaluable resource in the research and exploration departments of the petroleum industry and in geological surveys. ˇ Vlastislav Cerven´ y is a Professor of Geophysics at Charles University, Praha, Czech Republic. For 40 years he has researched and taught seismic ray theory worldwide. He is a member of the editorial boards of several journals, including the Journal of Seismic Exploration and the Journal of Seismology. In 1997 he received the Beno Gutenberg medal from the European Geophysical Society in recognition of his outstanding theoretical contribution in the field of seismology and seismic prospecting. In 1999 he received the Conrad Schlumberger Award from the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers in recognition of his many contributions to asymptotic wave theory and its applications to seismic modeling. He is an Honorary Member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. He has published two previous books: Theory of Seismic Head Waves (with R. Ravindra, 1971) and Ray Method in Seismology (with I. A. Molotkov and I. Pˇsenˇc´ık, 1977). He has also published more than 200 research papers. SEISMIC RAY THEORY ˇ ´ V. CERVEN Y Charles University CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.c