Statistical Analysis of the Depth-Velocity Trade-off in Reflection Seismology
Abstract
Seismic interpretation is strongly influenced by the relationship between subsurface layer depth and velocity. Small variations in these parameters can produce almost identical responses, characterizing the depth-velocity trade-off phenomenon. This work proposes a statistical and computational approach to evaluate the extent of this effect through Monte Carlo simulations involving thousands of synthetic models. The analysis consists of generating random depth-velocity pairs, computing travel times, and calculating the root mean square error (RMSE) relative to a reference model. The results show that multiple parameter combinations yield nearly indistinguishable travel times, confirming the existence of broad ambiguity regions. Finally, a two-layer geological velocity model is presented to illustrate the relationship between structure and velocity.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2601.04328,
title = {Statistical Analysis of the Depth-Velocity Trade-off in Reflection Seismology},
author = {Rafael da Silva Garcia and Francisco Marcio Barboza},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.04328},
year = {2026}
}