SEGJ Technical Conference

Is seismic velocity a piece of useful physical property information? --- consideration of a new paradigm opened by muography

Abstract In the field of seismic exploration based on the theory of elasticity, we use two kinds of elastic constants (e.g., bulk and shear modulus) and density as physical parameters. We have estimated physical properties in the subsurface by using seismic velocity information which is a composite parameter composed of two kinds of elastic constants and density. It may be hard to notice that using such a composite parameter causes some uncertainties in our physical interpretation of the subsurface. In this presentation, we point out the superiority of separately utilizing two kinds of elastic constants and density instead of utilizing velocity information. Furthermore, we propose a joint inversion method by use of muography and seismic exploration data for the estimation of gas concentration and mineral deposit volume.