Integrating high-resolution refraction data into near-surface seismic reflection data processing and interpretation

Shallow seismic reflection surveys commonly suffer from poor data quality in the upper 100 to 150 ms of the stacked seismic record because of shot-associated noise, surface waves, and direct arrivals that obscure the reflected energy. Nevertheless, insight into lateral changes in shallow structure and stratigraphy can still be obtained from these data by using first-arrival picks in a refraction analysis to derive a near-surface velocity model. We have used turning-ray tomography to model near-surface velocities from seismic reflection profiles recorded in the Hueco Bolson of West Texas and southern New Mexico. The results of this analysis are interval-velocity models for the upper 150 to 300 m of the seismic profiles which delineate geologic features that were not interpretable from the stacked records alone. In addition, the interval-velocity models lead to improved time-to-depth conversion; when converted to stacking velocities, they may provide a better estimate of stacking velocities at early traveltimes than other methods.