Combined inversion of first‐arrival travel times and reflection travel times

ABSTRACT In this work, we propose a method for determining reflection travel times based on the acquisition of first‐arrival travel times via the fast sweeping method. The accuracy of this scheme was proven by conducting model experiments to establish a foundation for first‐arrival tomography, reflection tomography and combined tomography. Reflection tomography was subsequently achieved using the adjoint‐state method; on this basis, we propose a combined tomography method involving both first‐arrival and reflection tomography. In the model experiments, excellent results were obtained via first‐arrival tomography, reflection tomography and our combined tomography method. Finally, full‐waveform inversion was performed, with the inversion produced by combined tomography used as the initial model. Excellent results were obtained using this approach. However, combined tomography reproduced and characterized the model much more realistically.