Comparison of forward modeling and inversion

Seismic inversion begins with a seismic trace and outputs an acoustic impedance model.

A mathematical process by which data are used to generate a model that is consistent with the data, the process of solving the inverse problem. In seismology, surface seismic data, vertical seismic profiles and well log data can be used to perform inversion, the result of which is a model of Earth layers and their thickness, density and P- and S-wave velocities. Successful seismic inversion usually requires a high signal-to-noise ratio and a large bandwidth.