Making sense of all that AVO stuff!

Summary

The Amplitude Variations with Offset (AVO) technique, and the related technique of pre-stack seismic inversion, has grown to include a multitude of sub-techniques, each with its own assumptions. This vast array of techniques makes it difficult for the interpreting geophysicist to understand how they are all related, and which method should be used in a particular exploration area. In this talk I will present a framework from which all of the current AVO and pre-stack seismic inversion methods can be understood. This will involve looking at the concept of seismic reflectivity in its various forms, as well as inverted reflectivity, or impedance. To illustrate the various AVO and pre-stack inversion techniques, I will use a gas sand example from central Alberta, Canada.

Key words::

• AVO
• pre-stack seismic inversion
• acoustic impedance
• shear impedance
• elastic impedance.