Patent ID: 8379482

Claim:
A method for transforming PP mode data and PS mode data into an enhanced data representation of a subsurface region, the method comprising: obtaining seismic data having PP mode data and PS mode data; calculating a first series of one or more seismic attributes describing amplitude variation in the PP mode data as associated with rock properties of the subsurface region; calculating a second series of one or more seismic attributes describing amplitude variation in the PS mode data as associated with rock properties of the subsurface region; wherein attributes are selected and combined such that the attribute combination of the first series is phase consistent with the attribute combination of the second series; and wherein each attribute combination is a weighted combination of the selected one or more attributes, said weights depending on interrelation of PP or PS seismic amplitudes to rock properties; performing a refined alignment of at least a portion of the PP mode data to corresponding PS mode data, or the reverse, meaning an alignment in time based at least in part on the first series and the second series, thereby creating aligned PP and PS seismic data attribute volumes; and inverting the aligned seismic data attribute volumes to obtain a representation of the subsurface region; wherein at least one of the calculating, performing, and inverting are performed using a computer.