MathSciDoc: An Archive for Mathematician ∫

Seismic data are routinely used to infer <i>in situ</i> properties of earth materials on many scales, ranging from global studies to investigations of surficial geological formations. While inversion and imaging algorithms utilizing these data have improved steadily, there are remaining challenges that make detailed measurements of the properties of some geologic materials very difficult. For example, the determination of the concentration and orientation of fracture systems is prohibitively expensive to simulate on the fine grid and, thus, some type of coarse-grid simulations are needed. In this paper, we describe a new multiscale finite element algorithm for simulating seismic wave propagation in heterogeneous media. This method solves the wave equation on a coarse grid using multiscale basis functions and a global coupling mechanism to relate information between fine and coarse grids. Using a mixed formulation of the

No keywords uploaded!