System and method for seismic data inversion

A system for determining properties of a subsurface region of interest from seismic data comprising:

• a. a data source containing computer-readable data including actual seismic data representative of the subsurface region of interest;
• b. a processor configured to execute computer-readable code from computer modules, the computer modules comprising:
• i. an initial model module configured to select an arbitrary initial property model from the data source or generate the arbitrary initial property model;
• ii. a domain transformation module to transform the actual seismic data into a frequency domain to generate frequency domain seismic data;
• iii. a data modeling module to generate modeled seismic data from the arbitrary initial property model or an updated property model;
• iv. a residual calculation module to calculate a residual wavefield;
• v. a phase preparation module to phase unwrap certain observed frequency components of the frequency domain seismic data;
• vi. an inversion module to compute an objective function, a search direction, and update the arbitrary initial property model or a previously updated property model;
• c. a user interface.

An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer readable code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for determining properties of a subsurface region of interest from actual seismic data, the method comprising:

• a. selecting an arbitrary initial property model from the data source or generating the arbitrary initial property model;
• b. performing forward modeling, via a computer, using an arbitrary initial earth property model, to create modeled seismic data with the same or similar acquisition specifications as the actual seismic data;
• c. transforming, via a computer, the modeled and the recorded seismic data to a temporal Fourier frequency domain to create frequency domain modeled and frequency domain recorded seismic data wherein the frequency domain modeled seismic data and frequency domain recorded seismic data include an amplitude portion and a phase portion;
• d. measuring, via a computer, the misfit between the frequency domain modeled seismic data and frequency domain recorded seismic data to produce frequency domain residual seismic data;
• e. performing, via a computer, phase unwrapping of the phase portion of certain observed frequency components of the frequency domain residual seismic data to create an unwrapped residual phase portion;
• f. inverting, via a computer, the unwrapped residual phase portion to determine desired properties of the subsurface region of interest, wherein the inverting minimizes an objective function defined to measure the misfit.