Abstract: A method for learning and applying a similarity measure between geophysical objects is provided. Similarity measures may be used for a variety of geophysics applications, including inverse problems. For example, an inverse problem may seek to minimize or maximize an associated objective function, which summarizes the degree of similarity between observed data and simulated data. However, when comparing between two or more geophysical objects in the context of the inverse problem, it is difficult to determine whether the observed difference between the two or more geophysical objects is due to noise or intrinsic dissimilarity between the objects. In this regard, an application-specific similarity measure, which may be tailored to the specific application, such as the specific inverse problem, may be generated and applied in order to better solve the inverse problem.