Seismic inversion: What it is, and what it is not

Seismic inversion is an ill-posed problem. All currently used inversion algorithms are, at best, approximations. As a result, we face the problem that many models of the subsurface give rise to synthetic data, all of which fit the data within a given measure of error. It is the job of the experienced seismic interpreter to choose among this set of well-fitting models those that are geologically most plausible, given the interpreter's experience and prior geologic knowledge of the area being explored.