Velocity Definitions 1

Abnormal moveout velocity, Air wave velocity, Apparent velocity, Average interval
velocity, Average velocity, Background velocity, Channel wave velocity, Compressional
wave velocity, Conversion velocity, Converted wave velocity, Depth normalized interval
velocity, Dilatational wave velocity, Direct wave velocity, Distortional wave velocity, Diving
wave velocity, Dix interval velocity, Elevation velocity, Equivalent velocity, Formation
velocity, Ground roll velocity, Group velocity, Head wave velocity, Horizontal velocity, Hwave velocity, Hydrodynamic wave velocity, Instantaneous velocity, Interval stacking
velocity, Interval velocity, Longitudinal wave velocity, Long wave velocity, Love wave
velocity, Marker velocity, Migration velocity, Moveout velocity, Normal moveout velocity,
Optical stacking velocity, Particle velocity, Phase velocity, Primary velocity, Primary wave
velocity, Pseudo velocity, Pseudo Rayleigh wave velocity, P-wave velocity, Rayleigh wave
velocity, Refraction velocity, Replacement velocity, Root mean square velocity, Root
mean square interval velocity, Sample velocity, Seam wave velocity, Secondary wave
velocity, Seismic wave velocity, Sezawa M2 wave velocity, Shear wave velocity, SH wave
velocity, Small aperture migration velocity, Sonic velocity, Stacking velocity, Stoneley
wave velocity, Sub-weathering velocity, Surface SH wave velocity, Surface wave velocity,
SV wave velocity, S-wave velocity, Transverse wave velocity, Trapped wave velocity,
Tube wave velocity, Up-hole velocity, Vertical velocity, Water velocity, Wave velocity,
Weathering velocity.

There are more

than 70 velocity
definitions. We
will consider
only a few.

Velocity Definitions 1

Speed = length / time

Velocity = speed in a given direction
Slowness = 1 / velocity

2.1

Velocity Definitions 1

Average Velocity VA
The ratio of a given distance along a certain path to the
time required for a seismic wave to traverse the path.
While it has meaning only with respect to a particular
path, a vertical path is often implied, that is, it is given
by a depth, z, divided by a one-way seismic traveltime,
t, to that depth, usually assuming straight raypath travel.

VA = z / t

Velocity Definitions 1

Average Interval Velocity VI

Measured by determining the travel time over an interval in
the subsurface, usually along a vertical raypath. The value is
the average velocity of the interval. It is the velocity most
often used in models.

VIj = zj / tj

layer j

2.2

Velocity Definitions 1

Average Velocity VA
For the following model calculate the average velocity to the
second reflector.

VA = z / t
Thickness
1500 m

VI
2000 m/s

Thickness
1000 m

VI
4000 m/s
z

Velocity Definitions 1

Average Velocity VA
VELOCITY

DEPTH

Suppose we now change

the model, we keep the two
lithologies but instead of
two massive units, we now
interbed the lithologies with
a geological wavelength d.

How do we find the

average velocity?
2000

2.3

4000

Velocity Definitions 1

Average Velocity VA
The Average Velocity is found
according to:

DEPTH

Where r1 and r2 are the proportional

thicknesses of the layers such that r1 +
r2 = 1

PROPORTION 0.4

1 / VA = r1 / V1 + r2 / V2

PROPORTION 0.6

VELOCITY

Geologists will recognize this as

Wylies time-average equation.
VA =

2000

4000

Velocity Definitions 1

Average Velocity VA

2.4

This form of average velocity is

also known as the ray
theoretical average velocity.

PROPORTION r1

PROPORTION r2

This average velocity is only

valid for predicting seismic
travel times when the
wavelength of the seismic
wavelet, , is less than ~5
interbedded cycles, geological
wavelength,d.

DEPTH

VELOCITY

V1

V2

Velocity Definitions 1

Backus Average Velocity VBAC

VBAC = 1/[r1/V12 + r2/V22]

it comes from Backus (1962).

PROPORTION r1

DEPTH

The effective medium velocity :

VELOCITY

PROPORTION r2

When the seismic wavelength is

much greater than the layering
thickness the velocity needed to
correctly model the travel time of
a seismic wave through the finely
layered section is: -

V1

V2

Velocity Definitions 1

Backus Average Velocity VBAC

This velocity is also known as the
Effective Medium Velocity.

DEPTH

PROPORTION 0.4

VBAC = 1/[r1/V12 + r2/V22]

PROPORTION 0.6

VELOCITY

How does the value compare with

the ray theoretical average
velocity?
2000

2.5

4000

Velocity Definitions 1

Average Velocity VA
The average velocity of a seismic wavelet depends on its
wavelength with respect to the bed thicknesses of the
layers
Ray theoretical
average velocity
Velocity

2500 m/s

12

5
Effective medium
velocity
0.1

2390 m/s
10

/d

100

See Marion et al, 1994, Velocity dispersion in stratified media, Geophysics.

Velocity Definitions 1

Average Velocity VA

Log

Seismic
2.6

Velocity Definitions 1

Instantaneous Velocity Vi
Instantaneous velocity is the velocity of a wavefront in the
direction of energy propagation.
Vi = f ( x, y, z, r, Vi)
The velocity log is a good representation of the
instantaneous velocity in the direction of the borehole often vertical, in which case we make the simplification
Vi = dz / dt

TIME

Pseudo Velocity
(Apparent, Effective)
An estimate of average velocity
calculated from seismic reflection
time and measured well depth.

2.7

DEPTH

Velocity Definitions 1

Velocity Definitions 1

Root Mean Square (RMS) Velocity VRMS

Root mean square velocity is not a measurable velocity, it is
calculated for a given model according to the following formula:
1

VIj , tj

j =N

RMS

V
Ij

j =1
j =N
tj

j =1

t
j

to
where VIj is the average interval velocity in the jth layer, tj the
one-way vertical traveltime in the jth layer, to is the vertical
incidence reflection time to the base of the Nth layer.
N.B. RMS formulae work with either one or two-way time.

Velocity Definitions 1

Summary
t1

t2

t3

t
Vi = dz/dt

z1
Vi

VI = (z2-z1)/(t2-t1)
= z/t
VA = z3/t3

VI

z2

VA

z3
z
2.8

Pseudo velocity
= zlog/tseismic

Velocity Definitions 1

Summary
Velocity Curves
Velocity ft/sec
22000

20000

18000

16000

14000

12000

10000

8000

6000

0
1000

2000

Depth ft

3000
4000
5000
6000
7000

8000
9000
Average

Instantaneous

Interval

Velocity Definitions 1

Summary
Average Velocity: VA = z/t
Ray theoretical average velocity:
1 / VA = r1 / VI1 + r2 / VI2 with r1 + r2 =1
Backus average velocity:
VBAC = 1/[r1/VI12 + r2/VI22] with r1 + r2 =1

Interval Velocity: VI = z / t
Instantaneous Velocity: Vi = dz / dt
Pseudo velocity = zlog/tseismic

2.9

Exercise 2.1

Definitions

The supplied CD contains the dataset as the file Ex 2.1.xls so you may do the
exercise in a spreadsheet.
The following table gives checkshot values to key formation boundaries from
well A that we will make use of in exercises throughout this course. The results of
this exercise will be useful in later exercises. Well A was drilled at SP 78394 on
the seismic line that we will interpret later.
Calculate the interval velocities for each formation and the average velocities to
the layer boundaries.

z ft
0
108
734
1283
1672
2424
4852
6608
7927
8243

t sec
0.0000
0.0223
0.1275
0.2130
0.2650
0.3785
0.6077
0.7520
0.8262
0.8527

2.10

Definitions

2.11

Exercise 2.2

140

Definitions
40 sec/ft

90

100 ft

Formation A

Data courtesy of ARCO British Ltd

The wavelet in the seismic data at the depth of the indicated formation is 20 msec
long and the average velocity is 8000 ft/sec.
Based on the scale of interbedding and seismic wavelength should we use a ray
theoretical average velocity or an effective medium velocity? (Velocity =
wavelength x frequency)

If we acquired checkshots at the top and bottom of the formation A what interval
velocity would you anticipate if the two lithologies involved have velocities of
16,000 ft/sec and 11,000 ft/sec and their thicknesses are in the proportions 0.59 to
0.41?

2.12

Definitions

2.13