Patent ID: 9435904
Filing Date: 2016-09-06
CPC Classification: G01V

Claim Text:
1. A computer-implemented method of correcting a velocity model, the method comprising: (a) selecting a velocity model of a subsurface region of interest, the subsurface region of interest located proximate to a surface comprising one or more topographic anomalies; (b) determining an anomalous overburden stress caused by the one or more topographic anomalies; (c) determining an overburden strain caused by the one or more topographic anomalies; (d) using a nucleus of strain theory to determine an anomalous stress propagation in the subsurface region of interest by calculating wherein S z (r a,i )=anomalous stress at a particular subsurface location r i caused by cell “a” in the anomalous topography, R=distance between subsurface cell “i” and a cell “a” in the one or more topographic anomalies with where G=shear modulus, V a =volume of a cell in the one or more topographic anomalies, E 0 (r a )=anomalous overburden strain at location r a ; (e) determining a velocity correction factor from the anomalous stress propagation; and (f) using the velocity correction factor to generate a corrected velocity model, wherein at least one of (a) through (f) is performed on a computer.