Robert Phinney - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Robert Phinney

Research paper thumbnail of Present Knowledge about the Thermal History of the Moon

Research paper thumbnail of Seismic studies of crustal structure

Reviews of Geophysics, 1983

Insroduction DL?•ing the past four years, seismoiogy nas continued its role as the key technique ... more Insroduction DL?•ing the past four years, seismoiogy nas continued its role as the key technique for determination of the structure of the continental and oceanic crust. By and large, nowever, the field and analysis methods used Oear little resemoiance to tnose of ten years ago. A continued push to increase tne n•nOer of recording caanneis has led to tne routine use of ocean oottan seismometers, sonoouoys, and multichannel strewhers in oceanic studies, and to the use of large sets of portaole instruments and multichannel seismic reflection strings on land. In studies using earshqua•es as sources, local and regional arrays provide a capaOility for oO%aining geologically useful two-and tareedimensional information aOout the cruss. Growth in computing capacity has proceeded in parallel; a suostantial numoer of university and governmen5 research groups nave hands-on access to superminicomputers with array processors, and handle data Copyright 1983 by the American Geophysical Union. Paper number 3R0806. 0034-6853/83/003R-0806515.00 lioraries containing hundreds of reels of tape. Theoretical advances now make it possible to generate synthetic seismograms for aii layered models and for a wide class of nonlayered models, for aid in interpretation of data. Techniques of plane wave decomposition and wavefield migration nave opened up many new possioilities for the reduction and interpretation of data collected from arrays wisaout spatial aliasing. In tnis review we take up crustal seismoiogy in terms of the major field metnods: 1) Explosion studies on land, for crustal and upper mantle structure, with networks of port-aOle stations, and using refractions and wide angle reflections. 2) Deep continental reflection studies, using Vioroseis sources, with dense geophone arrays normally shorter than 10 km, using narrow angle reflections. 3) Marine multichannel reflection studies, using an array of airguns and a towed hydrophone streamer normally shorter than 3 Km. 4) Marine long range studies, similar to (1), using ocean Oottom seismometers (OBS), or sonoOuoys as receivers, with explosions or airguns as sources. Generalized inversion for crust and iithos-5) Phinney and Odom: Seismic Studies of Crustal Structure 1319 pheric structure under a local or regional %he daLa. All the da%a were preprocessed to network of seismic sta%ions. Use is made of a remove %he effects of individual instrument varie%y of data cons%rain%s, fr•n ooth %elese-responses Dy BaKer et al. [1982]. Spariin et al. isms and local even%s, sucn as P delays, local [1982] oO%ained theore%ical travel times Oy two %ravel times, surface wave pnase velocities dimensional ray tracing, and developed a gloOally and the like. consis%en% model Oy iteratively refining the We then close wi%n a orief review of the •neoret-model toward agreemen% wi%h %he data. This icai advances which have had an influence on approach, wnile admittedly subjec%ive, proOaDly seismic crus%al s%udies during the quadrennium. makes as much sense in %erms of %he goals of inverse theory as the direc% data processing Continental Explosion Studies aigori%nms which are tne norm in reflection seismoiogy. Pries%iy and OrcutJt [1982] applied Large scale studies by U.S. investigators in %he me%hod of extremal inversion for %he tau(p) %he SnaKe River Plain, Saudi Arabia, and %he function, as described oy Bessonova et al. [1974] Imperial Valley were most noraDie. The firs% was and modified oy Garmany et al. [1979]. They conorganized Dy a group of universi%ies in colia-finned %he interpretation of a high average crupotation with European colleagues and U. S. stai velocity and inferred a velocity reversal in government agencies, wnile the la%ter two were tne eastern end of the SRP, closest to Yellow-sSudies Oy the U.S. Geological Survey, using a stone. Evans [1982], used a damped least squares specially designed se% of 100 portable instru-inversion of %eleseismic P residual dasa for the men%s. SRP %o infer 3-dimensional structure beneath the

Research paper thumbnail of On the radio occultation method for studying planetary atmospheres

Journal of Geophysical Research, 1968

The problem of determining the refractivity profile of a planetary atmosphere from optical or ra?... more The problem of determining the refractivity profile of a planetary atmosphere from optical or ra?io .occulta~i?n ~ata is identical in principle to the problem of determining the variation o~ se1sm1c veloc1t1es m the earth from the observed travel times of seismic body. waves. In either case, a complete set of data can be inverted uniquely, the only constraints being those fundam~ntal to geomet~ic optics. Expr:ssions are given for converting observed Doppler shifts to the mdex of refract10n as a funct10n of depth in the atmosphere. The effect of various appro~ima~ions on the analy~is is discussed; it is found that a 'thin atmosphere' approximation s1mphfies the mathematics and preserves the singularity at the critical ray curvature.

Research paper thumbnail of The crustal structure in central Maine from coherency processed refraction data

Journal of Geophysical Research, 1991

ABSTRACT

Research paper thumbnail of Full‐waveform inversion of plane‐wave seismograms in stratified acoustic media: Theory and feasibility

GEOPHYSICS, 1988

We have implemented an inversion procedure for obtaining velocity and density profiles from multi... more We have implemented an inversion procedure for obtaining velocity and density profiles from multioffset data in a layered acoustic medium. Using an iterative modeling technique and the p-τ representation, the procedure is derived from the nonlinear least‐squares formalism of Tarantola and Valette. The feasibility of this method depends upon obtaining Fréchet derivatives during the modeling process and on vectorizing the Thompson‐Haskell reflectivity algorithm. Test data sets for this study are gathers of two to four plane‐wave synthetic seismograms which may contain both precritical and postcritical arrivals generated by a seismic wavelet. These examples demonstrate convergence to the correct velocity and density profiles with reasonable accuracy.

Research paper thumbnail of Diffraction of P Waves by the Core and an Inhomogeneous Mantle

Geophysical Journal International, 1970

Research paper thumbnail of Reflection Profiling of the Continental Crust

Problems and Methods for Lithospheric Exploration, 1984

The COCORP program is devoted to collecting, analyzing, and interpreting high resolution seismic ... more The COCORP program is devoted to collecting, analyzing, and interpreting high resolution seismic profiles using techniques which have been highly successful for hydrocarbon exploration in sedimentary basins. In six years of operation with a single conventional crew, over 3000 Km of section have been produced in I2 study areas. These profiles have sufficient resolution to show geologically informative structure at all depths in the crust. The high initial cost of data collection is more than justified by the geological value of the results.

Research paper thumbnail of Diffraction of P by the core: A study of long-period amplitudes near the edge of the shadow

Journal of Geophysical Research, 1969

Research paper thumbnail of Origin of High Mountains in the Continents: The Southern Sierra Nevada

Research paper thumbnail of Deep-Earth Geophysics: The Earth's Mantle . T. F. Gaskell, Ed. Academic Press, New York, 1967. xiv + 509 pp., illus. $26.50

Research paper thumbnail of Continuous seismic reflection profiling of the deep basement, Hardeman County, Texas

Bulletin of the …, 1976

Continuous seismic reflection profiling of the deep basement, Hardeman County, Texas JACK OLIVER ... more Continuous seismic reflection profiling of the deep basement, Hardeman County, Texas JACK OLIVER Department of Geological Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850 MILTON DOBRIN Department of Geology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77004 SIDNEY ...

Research paper thumbnail of The crustal structure in central Maine from coherency processed refraction data

Journal of Geophysical Research, 1991

ABSTRACT

Research paper thumbnail of Present Knowledge about the Thermal History of the Moon

Research paper thumbnail of Seismic studies of crustal structure

Reviews of Geophysics, 1983

Insroduction DL?•ing the past four years, seismoiogy nas continued its role as the key technique ... more Insroduction DL?•ing the past four years, seismoiogy nas continued its role as the key technique for determination of the structure of the continental and oceanic crust. By and large, nowever, the field and analysis methods used Oear little resemoiance to tnose of ten years ago. A continued push to increase tne n•nOer of recording caanneis has led to tne routine use of ocean oottan seismometers, sonoouoys, and multichannel strewhers in oceanic studies, and to the use of large sets of portaole instruments and multichannel seismic reflection strings on land. In studies using earshqua•es as sources, local and regional arrays provide a capaOility for oO%aining geologically useful two-and tareedimensional information aOout the cruss. Growth in computing capacity has proceeded in parallel; a suostantial numoer of university and governmen5 research groups nave hands-on access to superminicomputers with array processors, and handle data Copyright 1983 by the American Geophysical Union. Paper number 3R0806. 0034-6853/83/003R-0806515.00 lioraries containing hundreds of reels of tape. Theoretical advances now make it possible to generate synthetic seismograms for aii layered models and for a wide class of nonlayered models, for aid in interpretation of data. Techniques of plane wave decomposition and wavefield migration nave opened up many new possioilities for the reduction and interpretation of data collected from arrays wisaout spatial aliasing. In tnis review we take up crustal seismoiogy in terms of the major field metnods: 1) Explosion studies on land, for crustal and upper mantle structure, with networks of port-aOle stations, and using refractions and wide angle reflections. 2) Deep continental reflection studies, using Vioroseis sources, with dense geophone arrays normally shorter than 10 km, using narrow angle reflections. 3) Marine multichannel reflection studies, using an array of airguns and a towed hydrophone streamer normally shorter than 3 Km. 4) Marine long range studies, similar to (1), using ocean Oottom seismometers (OBS), or sonoOuoys as receivers, with explosions or airguns as sources. Generalized inversion for crust and iithos-5) Phinney and Odom: Seismic Studies of Crustal Structure 1319 pheric structure under a local or regional %he daLa. All the da%a were preprocessed to network of seismic sta%ions. Use is made of a remove %he effects of individual instrument varie%y of data cons%rain%s, fr•n ooth %elese-responses Dy BaKer et al. [1982]. Spariin et al. isms and local even%s, sucn as P delays, local [1982] oO%ained theore%ical travel times Oy two %ravel times, surface wave pnase velocities dimensional ray tracing, and developed a gloOally and the like. consis%en% model Oy iteratively refining the We then close wi%n a orief review of the •neoret-model toward agreemen% wi%h %he data. This icai advances which have had an influence on approach, wnile admittedly subjec%ive, proOaDly seismic crus%al s%udies during the quadrennium. makes as much sense in %erms of %he goals of inverse theory as the direc% data processing Continental Explosion Studies aigori%nms which are tne norm in reflection seismoiogy. Pries%iy and OrcutJt [1982] applied Large scale studies by U.S. investigators in %he me%hod of extremal inversion for %he tau(p) %he SnaKe River Plain, Saudi Arabia, and %he function, as described oy Bessonova et al. [1974] Imperial Valley were most noraDie. The firs% was and modified oy Garmany et al. [1979]. They conorganized Dy a group of universi%ies in colia-finned %he interpretation of a high average crupotation with European colleagues and U. S. stai velocity and inferred a velocity reversal in government agencies, wnile the la%ter two were tne eastern end of the SRP, closest to Yellow-sSudies Oy the U.S. Geological Survey, using a stone. Evans [1982], used a damped least squares specially designed se% of 100 portable instru-inversion of %eleseismic P residual dasa for the men%s. SRP %o infer 3-dimensional structure beneath the

Research paper thumbnail of On the radio occultation method for studying planetary atmospheres

Journal of Geophysical Research, 1968

The problem of determining the refractivity profile of a planetary atmosphere from optical or ra?... more The problem of determining the refractivity profile of a planetary atmosphere from optical or ra?io .occulta~i?n ~ata is identical in principle to the problem of determining the variation o~ se1sm1c veloc1t1es m the earth from the observed travel times of seismic body. waves. In either case, a complete set of data can be inverted uniquely, the only constraints being those fundam~ntal to geomet~ic optics. Expr:ssions are given for converting observed Doppler shifts to the mdex of refract10n as a funct10n of depth in the atmosphere. The effect of various appro~ima~ions on the analy~is is discussed; it is found that a 'thin atmosphere' approximation s1mphfies the mathematics and preserves the singularity at the critical ray curvature.

Research paper thumbnail of The crustal structure in central Maine from coherency processed refraction data

Journal of Geophysical Research, 1991

ABSTRACT

Research paper thumbnail of Full‐waveform inversion of plane‐wave seismograms in stratified acoustic media: Theory and feasibility

GEOPHYSICS, 1988

We have implemented an inversion procedure for obtaining velocity and density profiles from multi... more We have implemented an inversion procedure for obtaining velocity and density profiles from multioffset data in a layered acoustic medium. Using an iterative modeling technique and the p-τ representation, the procedure is derived from the nonlinear least‐squares formalism of Tarantola and Valette. The feasibility of this method depends upon obtaining Fréchet derivatives during the modeling process and on vectorizing the Thompson‐Haskell reflectivity algorithm. Test data sets for this study are gathers of two to four plane‐wave synthetic seismograms which may contain both precritical and postcritical arrivals generated by a seismic wavelet. These examples demonstrate convergence to the correct velocity and density profiles with reasonable accuracy.

Research paper thumbnail of Diffraction of P Waves by the Core and an Inhomogeneous Mantle

Geophysical Journal International, 1970

Research paper thumbnail of Reflection Profiling of the Continental Crust

Problems and Methods for Lithospheric Exploration, 1984

The COCORP program is devoted to collecting, analyzing, and interpreting high resolution seismic ... more The COCORP program is devoted to collecting, analyzing, and interpreting high resolution seismic profiles using techniques which have been highly successful for hydrocarbon exploration in sedimentary basins. In six years of operation with a single conventional crew, over 3000 Km of section have been produced in I2 study areas. These profiles have sufficient resolution to show geologically informative structure at all depths in the crust. The high initial cost of data collection is more than justified by the geological value of the results.

Research paper thumbnail of Diffraction of P by the core: A study of long-period amplitudes near the edge of the shadow

Journal of Geophysical Research, 1969

Research paper thumbnail of Origin of High Mountains in the Continents: The Southern Sierra Nevada

Research paper thumbnail of Deep-Earth Geophysics: The Earth's Mantle . T. F. Gaskell, Ed. Academic Press, New York, 1967. xiv + 509 pp., illus. $26.50

Research paper thumbnail of Continuous seismic reflection profiling of the deep basement, Hardeman County, Texas

Bulletin of the …, 1976

Continuous seismic reflection profiling of the deep basement, Hardeman County, Texas JACK OLIVER ... more Continuous seismic reflection profiling of the deep basement, Hardeman County, Texas JACK OLIVER Department of Geological Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850 MILTON DOBRIN Department of Geology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77004 SIDNEY ...

Research paper thumbnail of The crustal structure in central Maine from coherency processed refraction data

Journal of Geophysical Research, 1991

ABSTRACT