Velocity structure of a bottom simulating reflector offshore Peru: Results from full waveform inversion

Much of our knowledge of the worldwide distribution of submarine gas hydrates comes from seismic observations of Bottom Simulating Reflectors (BSRs). Full waveform inversion has proven to be a reliable technique for studying the fine structure of BSRs using the compressional wave velocity. We applied a non-linear full waveform inversion technique to a BSR at a location offshore Peru. We first determined the large-scale features of seismic velocity variations using a statistical inversion technique to maximise coherent energy along travel-time curves. These velocities were used for a starting velocity model for the full waveform inversion, which yielded a detailed velocity/depth model in the vicinity of the BSR. We found that the data are best fit by a model in which the BSR consists of a thin, low-velocity layer. The compressional wave velocity drops from 2.15 km/s down to an average of 1.70 km/s in an 18m thick interval, with a minimum velocity of 1.62 km/s in a 6 m interval. The resulting compressional wave velocity was used to estimate gas content in the sediments. Our results suggest that the low velocity layer is a 6-18 m thick zone containing a few percent of free gas in the pore space. The presence of the BSR coincides with a region of vertical uplift. Therefore, we suggest that gas at this BSR is formed by a dissociation of hydrates at the base of the hydrate stability zone due to uplift and subsequently a decrease in pressure.