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Radon Transform Methods and Their Applications in Mapping Mantle Reflectivity Structure

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Abstract

This paper reviews the fundamentals of Radon-based methods using examples from global seismic applications. By exploiting the move-out or curvature of signal of interest, Least-squares and High-resolution Radon transform methods can effectively eliminate random or correlated noise, enhance signal clarity, and simultaneously constrain travel time and ray angles. The inverse formulation of the Radon transform has the added benefits of phase isolation and spatial interpolation during data reconstruction. This study presents a ‘cookbook’ for Radon-based methods in analyzing shear wave bottom-side reflections from mantle interfaces, also know as SS precursors. We demonstrate that accurate and flexible joint Radon- and frequency-domain approaches are particularly effective in resolving the presence and depth of known and postulated mantle reflectors.

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Acknowledgments

We sincerely thank Yuling An, Ryan Schultz and Jeroen Ritsma for their scientific contributions and discussions. In particular, much of the work presented here was based on the MSc. thesis of Yuling An (currently at CGGVeritas) and an undergraduate summer project conducted by Ryan Schultz. We also thank IRIS for data archiving and dissemination. Some of the figures presented were prepared using the GMT software (Wessel and Smith 1995). Finally, we thank Surveys in Geophysics, particularly Michael Rycroft and Petra D. van Steenbergen, for inviting us to contribute to this Special Issue. The research project is funded by Alberta Ingenuity, National Science and Engineering Council (NSERC) and Canadian Foundation for Innovations (CFI).

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  1. Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G2G7, Canada

    Yu Jeffrey Gu & Mauricio Sacchi

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Correspondence to Yu Jeffrey Gu.

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Gu, Y.J., Sacchi, M. Radon Transform Methods and Their Applications in Mapping Mantle Reflectivity Structure. Surv Geophys 30, 327–354 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-009-9076-0

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