The iterative method for removing most of the deformation in this model works very well. Calculating a solution to this small model, it takes just a couple of minutes on a PC and successfully removes the fault deformation as is evident in Figure 15.
The next step is to apply this to real data. First to a simple 2D line and then to a 3D volume.
Other types of non-linear solver methods can be tested on this problem as well. Automatic picking algorithms may work faster and easier than my method.
If this method is successful at removing the bulk of deformation on real data, then we may want to address the non-stationary aspect to improve the results.
Lastly, this work can possibly be utilized to aid in automatic fault interpretation. Starting with a raw 3D seismic volume and a coherency cube, fault slips can be used to constrain the automatic interpretation of the faults themselves.
A logical next step to finding the fault contours would be to automatically calculate the entire deformation ellipsiod as outlined in Figure 17. In this simple model it seems simple enough, but in the chaotic world of real geology, that may be an entirely different matter.
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