Simulation Of Elastic Wave Propagation In Models Containing Irregular Interfaces Parameterized On Irregular Grids

Abstract

Thus study demonstrates the advantages of a recently-developed irregular-grid modeling technique (Nolte, 1996). This technique can model irregular interfaces more accurately than a standard regular-grid finite-difference method. I show this by comparison of both methods for a simple model containing a sloping interface. While the discrete approximation to the sloping interface results in numerical inaccuracies for the finite-difference method, the irregular-grid technique produces superior results. I then show that the method can also be applied to a free surface with irregular topography, suggesting that it may be a valuable alternative to existing finite-difference free-surface algorithms.