Exact elastic impedance tensor for isotropic media

Abstract

The existing expressions of elastic impedance, as the generalized form of acoustic impedance, represent the resistance of subsurface media to seismic waves of non-normal incidence, and thus include information on the shear-wave velocity. In this sense, conventional elastic impedance is an attribute of the seismic reflection and not an intrinsic physical property of the subsurface media. The derivation of these expressions shares the approximations made for reflectivity, such as weak impedance contrast andisotropic or weakly anisotropic media, which limits the accuracy of reflectivity reconstruction and seismic inversion. In this paper, we derive exact elastic impedance tensors of seismic P- and S-waves for isotropic media based on the stress-velocity law. Each component of the impedance tensor represents a unique mechanical property of the medium. Approximations of P-wave elastic impedance tensor components are discussed for seismic inversion and interpretation. Application to synthetic data and real data shows the accuracy and robust interpretation capability of the derived elastic impedance in lithology characterizations.