Review of Advancements in Geometry-Based Inversion of Geophysical Data Sets

Abstract

Using geophysical inversion to determine the geometry of subsurface targets has a long-established history, tracing back to the early days of geophysical interpretation. These methods continue to gain considerable attention because of the growing demand for more precise and interpretable visual representations of subsurface bodies. A recent surge in interest has led to the development of numerous new strategies and algorithms that share the common primary goal of defining target geometries. A comprehensive review of these approaches is currently lacking, which has led to some overlap in research, where studies fail to acknowledge prior work or clarify how their methods compare with, or differ from, work by other researchers. In this paper, we present a thorough review of recent developments in the field, aiming: (1) to provide readers with a broader understanding of the various geometry-based inversion techniques currently being researched, (2) to help practitioners assess the practical applications of these inversion methods, and (3) to provide insight into promising directions for future research. We propose a standardized classification system and terminology to support the research community in formulating, discussing, and disseminating their findings within this rapidly expanding domain. We classify the approaches into five distinct categories. For each, we provide a broad literature search to discuss: the applications and types of geophysical data used, the parameters estimated by the inversion algorithms, the prior information and constraints applied, computational and numerical details, visualization and model evaluation approaches, and interpretation strategies. We finish with a forward looking discussion to summarize.