The whiteness hypothesis: Reflectivity, inversion, chaos, and Enders

The earth's reflectivity is one of the principal targets of seismic explora tion for oil and gas. It exhibits some fascinating properties. It is blue. It is fractal. In all probability, it reflects the output of a chaotic gene rator. I examine some of these characteristics here. Specifically, I look a t the statistical properties of a canonical chaotic model, and I examine th e effect of multiples on the statistical properties of seismograms generate d from primary reflectivities. This article is a tribute to Enders Robinson. He is a pioneer who has inspi red many. He inspires many to this day. I am one of them.