Statistical Analysis of the Depth-Velocity Trade-off in Reflection Seismology

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Garcia, Rafael da Silva, Barboza, Francisco Marcio
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Garcia, Rafael da Silva
Barboza, Francisco Marcio
author_facet Garcia, Rafael da Silva
Barboza, Francisco Marcio
contents Seismic interpretation is strongly influenced by the relationship between subsurface layer depth and velocity. Small variations in these parameters can produce almost identical responses, characterizing the depth-velocity trade-off phenomenon. This work proposes a statistical and computational approach to evaluate the extent of this effect through Monte Carlo simulations involving thousands of synthetic models. The analysis consists of generating random depth-velocity pairs, computing travel times, and calculating the root mean square error (RMSE) relative to a reference model. The results show that multiple parameter combinations yield nearly indistinguishable travel times, confirming the existence of broad ambiguity regions. Finally, a two-layer geological velocity model is presented to illustrate the relationship between structure and velocity.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_04328
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Statistical Analysis of the Depth-Velocity Trade-off in Reflection Seismology
Garcia, Rafael da Silva
Barboza, Francisco Marcio
Geophysics
Seismic interpretation is strongly influenced by the relationship between subsurface layer depth and velocity. Small variations in these parameters can produce almost identical responses, characterizing the depth-velocity trade-off phenomenon. This work proposes a statistical and computational approach to evaluate the extent of this effect through Monte Carlo simulations involving thousands of synthetic models. The analysis consists of generating random depth-velocity pairs, computing travel times, and calculating the root mean square error (RMSE) relative to a reference model. The results show that multiple parameter combinations yield nearly indistinguishable travel times, confirming the existence of broad ambiguity regions. Finally, a two-layer geological velocity model is presented to illustrate the relationship between structure and velocity.
title Statistical Analysis of the Depth-Velocity Trade-off in Reflection Seismology
topic Geophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.04328