Abstract Conventional imaging methods like reverse-time migration (RTM) impose assumptions, such as the Born approximation, that introduce strict data pre-processing requirements which reduces their effectiveness in regions of strong impedance contrasts, complex structural geometries, and poor illumination. Multi-parameter full-waveform inversion (MP-FWI) offers an alternative approach enabling the simultaneous estimation of many subsurface properties (e.g., Vp and reflectivity) directly from raw seismic data. MP-FWI is a least-squares solution that uses the full wavefield, treating multiples as valuable signals to improve resolution and illumination. In recent years, MP-FWI approaches have assumed acoustic wave propagation to generate angle-dependent reflectivity for elastic AVA analysis, which enables P-impedance and Vs/Vp ratio estimation via an additional inversion step. Elastic MP-FWI offers the potential to skip this additional inversion step and determine these AVA attributes directly from the acquired data. In this article, two case studies from the Australian North West Shelf and the Gulf of Mexico are presented that demonstrate the fidelity of visco-elastic MP-FWI in deriving AVA-attributes. The accuracy of these inverted models is evaluated against the conventional workflow and well data, and the role of quantitative interpretation (QI) expertise is discussed in the context of this novel paradigm.
McLeman et al. (Sun,) studied this question.