Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium Proceedings, Cambridge, USA, July 58, 2010

617

Simultaneous Joint Inversion of Seismic and Magnetotelluric Data

for Complex Sub-salt Depth Imaging in Gulf of Mexico
M. Viriglio, M. De Stefano, S. Re, F. Golfr`
e Andreasi, and F. F. C. Snyder
WesternGeco, Italy

Abstract We present the first application of the 3D simultaneous joint inversion (SJI) between seismic and marine magnetotelluric data over the northern Gulf of Mexico. Interpreting
the complex salt structures is a key to understand and create accurate tomographic velocity
models, which in turn, are necessary to properly position and image the subsalt targets in the
framework of the geophysical exploration. SJI collects seismic and non-seismic information into
a single-objective function to be inverted, as opposed to the multiple functions inverted by both
single-domain approaches. SJI enhances the ambition of improving the existing velocity models
for prestack depth migrations and the consistency of seismic and non-seismic representations of
the subsurface in complex salt geometries.
1. INTRODUCTION

Various approaches have been proposed ([13]) for multidomain and multimeasurement integration,
both in processing and interpretation. As a general view, integration can take place at different
levels of an exploration workflow: to constrain processing, inversion, or simply when comparing
interpretations or co-rendering them. Nowhere is this approach more important than in the Green
Canyon-Garden Banks-Keathley Canyon-Walker Ridge areas where salt complexity is challenging,
even with the latest wide-azimuth acquisition and processing methods.
Properly interpreting the numerous coalescing allochthonous salt canopies that cover potential
reservoir structures is a key to understand and create accurate tomographic velocity models. The
salt structures are particular challenges to deepwater exploration in this part of northern Gulf of
Mexico and in order to properly position the subsalt targets for geophysical exploration, a consistent
representation of the velocity model is the most important requirement for depth imaging.
2. SIMULTANEOUS JOINT INVERSION: THE METHOD

Simultaneous Joint Inversion (SJI) is a robust and integrated process to invert multiple geophysical
parameters within one unique cost function. Beyond the algorithm, this requires integrated workflows across traditionally distinct geophysical domains (Seismic, Gravity, and Electromagnetics).
The SJI workflow presented here combines MMT and seismic measurements integrated within
the inversion phase: in SJI inversion, one single objective function is inverted, as opposed to the
multiple functions inverted in the single domains approach ([1, 2]). The kernel of the objective
function is built by three different elements as displayed in Equation (1) ([1]): residual collection
from different domains (d1 , d2 ), single domain constraints (m1 , m2 ) and several interdomain
constraints (i ). From this point of view, the role of SJI is to combine the residuals, collate the
constraints for single domain models, set the constraints between the models of different domains,
and finally invert for the two models involved.
In this contest, SJI uses the same regularization and preconditioning that the single domains
use for standard inversion. This is one of the key benefits provided by the SJI: each domain is
regularized (and/or preconditioned) as in single domain inversions. First order (Gradient filters) or
second order (Laplacian filters) have been tested and used, but in general any regularizator could
be used in order to drive the coherence between adjacent cells of the same model. Laplacian filters
for both seismic and MMT have been used in the following examples.
The algorithm inverts for all the models providing updates for the different domains. From the
inversion point of view, the SJI is fully described by the single objective function in Equation (1)
where we used a summation of different costs as opposite of [2] where multiplication has been used:
(m1 , m2 ) = 1 d1 (r1 ) + 2 d2 (r2 ) + 3 m1 (m1 ) + 4 m2 (m2 ) +

n
X
i=0

is the unique function to minimize

mi are the models to invert

i (m1 , m2 )

(1)

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PIERS Proceedings, Cambridge, USA, July 58, 2010

i are the contributes from the residuals

i are the contributes from the regularizations
1 , 2 , . . . , n are the cross-links between unknowns
i are the weights for each component
3. THE MT SIGNAL AND DATA PROCESSING

The electromagnetic source for magnetotellurics is the natural time-varying geomagnetic field. A
useful measure of its level is the Ap index. It is a measure of the general level of geomagnetic
activity over the globe for a given day. It is derived from measurements made at a number of
stations world-wide of the variation of the geomagnetic field due to currents flowing in the earths
ionosphere and, to a lesser extent, in the earths magnetosphere. The strength of solar activities
affects the quality of MT signal. The quality of the MT response has a correlation with the good
MT source signal. Although solar activity is generally not predictable, the geomagnetic amplitude
pulsed at a frequency of approximately 69 days. A longer recording window can increase the
likelihood of capturing peak MT pulses. Another benefit of a longer recording window is increasing
the stacking. Stacking can reduce the random (incoherent) noise and improve the signal-to-noise
ratio. The receivers have some common noisy segments, e.g., instrument deployment and recovery.
There are also some noise sources which can affect the receivers in different ways, e.g., complicated
ocean environment, motional noise, spikes from the atmosphere and ionosphere, pipe lines etc.
These noisy segments of data were cut off from the time series and the quietest segments of data
were then used for processing.
A robust remote reference processing approach [4] was used to calculate the MT impedance
tensor from the time series data. The use of a remote reference receiver is the usual way to reduce
the incoherent noise in the time series and therefore to improve the data quality.
4. SUBSALT IMAGING

Subsalt seismic imaging is a very common problem due to complex lateral and vertical velocity
variations, scarce penetration of seismic energy, wavefield scattering, multiples, conversions, strong
ray-path distortion, and irregular illumination with multipath. Solving for complex velocity models
is the first goal of the SJI technology when integrated with MMT domain.
MMT measurements provide additional data on the high resistive anomaly of the salt. MMT
is suited to investigate within and below the salt formation which provides a strong resistive effect
both on apparent resistivity and phase but more importantly MMT is an inductive method capable
of detecting the resistivity contrast at the base of salt and it provides a key benefit for velocity
model building within and below basalt.
5. SYNTHETIC MODELS

The synthetic tests are based on the standard SEG 3D synthetic model and have three different
elements: a water layer, a space variant background velocity (sediments), and the salt formation
with constant velocity. We built a proper resistivity model [ m] using well logs information
populating the seismic structural framework, and we inverted velocities and resistivities with SJI.
In this way, we emulate the common case of very fast and resistive salt structure with different dips
and depths, one of the main challenges for today marine applications. Figure 1 shows the velocity
and the resistivity models: the two domains use different grids according to the resolution of the
measurement. SJI provides a better inversion of the salt anomaly, and a more stable velocity of
the background; the SJI velocity model is also more accurate below the bottom of the salt.
6. REAL DATA APPLICATION IN WALKER RIDGE NORTHERN GULF OF
MEXICO

Since the formation of the Jurassic Louann salt during continental crust pre-breakup and subsequent early salt movement due to gravity spreading toward the cooling and sinking oceanic plate,
the Gulf of Mexico has been destined as a tectonically favorable exploration province, albeit in
places very complex. This complexity comes in part from the repeated and diverse salt movement
episodes and the resulting deep water allochthonous canopies; our remote sensing attempts to image favorable hydrocarbon-bearing structures beneath. Properly imaging and interpreting the salt
and substructures are primary tools to understanding and creating accurate geologically driven
tomographic velocity models, which in turn, are necessary to properly position and image these
subsalt targets.

Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium Proceedings, Cambridge, USA, July 58, 2010

Figure 1: LHS: Comparisons between single domain

inversions (top left) and SJI models (bottom left):
SJI improves the focusing of the MMT inversions of
the salt formation (black line). RHS: Match of SJI
base of salt and synthetic one. Proper model the
base of salt is a key for enhancing the subsalt depth
migrations.

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Figure 2: Workflow for the SJI. Clockwise from top

left: initial structural framework, salt removal, SJI
inversion, and SJI interpretation.

Figure 3: Left: Initial resistivity model. Middle: SJI inverted resistivity. Right: SJI resistivity update.

A robust approach involving seismic and non seismic measurements is very important in the
Green Canyon-Garden Banks-Keathley Canyon-Walker Ridge areas because the salt complexity is
extremely challenging, even with the latest seismic acquisition methods. Using geological information and multidomain integration to augment seismic data is proving successful. These methods
help better facilitate interpretating the entire salt, which is important not only for a better salt
model and reservoir image, but also to better understand possible reservoir compartmentalization
mechanisms, abnormal pressure cells, and other exploration risks.
Figure 3 shows the SJI resistivity results: inverting MMT data together with seismic reflections
helped to detect/confirm the base of allochthonous salt at the macro-scale, and also the top of the
deeper and resistive autochthonous salt. Given the high-resolution of the seismic migration, the
new bottom of the salt has been interpreted using the seismic velocity and migration.
Figure 2 shows some 3D views of velocities (colored) and seismic (black and white) overlays. For
the 3D SJI proof of concept, we started from an existing seismic reflection tomographic model (top
left) from which we removed a portion of the salt (top right) obtaining the initial velocity model
and ran several iterations of targeted 3D SJI with reflection seismic and MMT data, obtaining the
final SJI velocity model (bottom right). The bottom left image shows how the 3D SJI has led to a
new 3D interpretation of the allochthonous salt base (colored) and positioning of the autochthonous

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PIERS Proceedings, Cambridge, USA, July 58, 2010

Figure 4: Subsalt zoom of the PSDM sections using single domain velocity model (LHS) and SJI velocity
model (RHS). Red arrows points to the base of the salt. White arrows point ot the improved subsalt migrated
events.

top salt (blue). The new interpretations have been used for new depth migrations to confirm the
improvements in the new SJI model.
The SJI results are shown in Figure 4 by means of 3D depth migrations. SJI provides a more
focused base of the salt, enhancing the quality of the subsalt migrated events.
7. CONCLUSIONS

We integrated the inversion of seismic and MMT data with the 3D simultaneous joint inversion,
showing an application in the northern Gulf of Mexico, and producing new interpretations of the
allochthonous and autochthonous salt and thus an improved imaging with new depth migrations.
SJI enhances the quality of the seismic migrations, reduces the inversion uncertainties, and most
importantly defines a new strategy for subsalt interpretation, thereby enhancing the role of nonseismic methods.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors would like to thank Stephen Alwon, Michael OBriain, Don Watts, and Marta Woodward for their advice and help for the project, Luca Masnaghetti for the internal review of this
paper, and WesternGeco GeoSolutions and Electromagnetic divisions for the seismic, gravity, and
electromagnetic dataset.
REFERENCES

1. De Stefano, M. and D. Colombo, Pre-stack depth imaging via simultaneous joint inversion of
seismic, gravity and magnetotelluric data, 69th EAGE Conference and Exhibition, 2007.
2. Gallardo, L. A. and M. A. Meju, Joint two-dimensional DC resistivity and seismic travel time
inversion with cross-gradients constraints, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 109, No. 10,
B03311, 2004.
3. Gamble, T. D., W. M. Goubau, and J. Clarke, Magnetotellurics with a remote reference,
Geophysics, Vol. 54, 5368, 1979.
4. Wenyi, H., A. Abubakar, and T. M. Habashy, Joint electromagnetic and seismic inversion
using structural constraints, Geophysics, Vol. 74, No. 6, 99109, 2009.