Patent ID: 8411529

Claim:
A method for processing subsurface data comprising: receiving seismic data representing measurements made of seismic energy that has passed through a subsurface formation; receiving sonic data representing measurements made of sonic energy that has passed through the subsurface formation; making a first assumption with respect to the subsurface formation based at least in part on the sonic data, wherein the first assumption includes a relationship between sonic anisotropy parameters of the sonic data; calculating, by a processor and based on the assumed relationship and the sonic data, one or more elastic constants that can be used to describe anisotropy of the subsurface formation; calculating one or more sonic anisotropy parameters of the sonic data based on the one or more elastic constants; comparing the one or more sonic anisotropy parameters of the sonic data with one or more seismic anisotropy parameters of the seismic data so as to determine if the first assumption is acceptable based on a metric; altering the first assumption if the first assumption is not acceptable; and outputting a log of the sonic data based at least in part on the calculated elastic constants if the first assumption is acceptable.