Prediction of the Shear Wave Velocity from Compressional Wave Velocity for Gachsaran Formation

Shear and compressional wave velocities, coupled with other petrophysical data, are very important for hydrocarbon reservoir characterization. In situ shear wave velocity (Vs) is measured by some sonic logging tools. Shear velocity coupled with compressional velocity is vitally important in determining geomechanical parameters, identifying the lithology, mud weight design, hydraulic fracturing, geophysical studies such as VSP, etc. In this paper, a correlation between compressional and shear wave velocity is obtained for Gachsaran formation in Maroon oil field. Real data were used to examine the accuracy of the prediction equation. Moreover, the genetic algorithm was used to obtain the optimal value for constants of the suggested equation. Furthermore, artificial neural network was used to inspect the reliability of this method. These investigations verify the notion that the suggested equation could be considered as an efficient, fast, and cost-effective method for predicting Vs from Vp.     

渤海海域黏性土剪切波速与抗剪强度统计关系的初步研究

剪切波速与地基土的抗剪强度、剪切模量和卓越周期等参数密切相关,是地震安全性评价中判定场地类别的一个主要指标和参数。鉴于海域工程中剪切波速往往难以直接由原位测得,而室内实验结果又常常与野外现场物探测试值存在较大差异,因此,如何通过其他途径有效获取满足工程需要的剪切波速参数在海域工程的地震安全性评价等方面具有迫切的实用需求。为此本文通过对渤海海域数十个石油平台项目中一系列饱和黏性土样品的剪切波速与抗剪强度实验数据的统计分析,尝试采用多种可能的函数来拟合确定二者之间的经验关系。结果表明:对于渤海海域黏性土剪切波速V_s与抗剪强度S_u之间的最佳统计经验关系为幂函数V_s=53.751S_u~(0.376)。此关系可为渤海海域工程中通过不排水抗剪强度估算剪切波速提供一种简便可行的实用性方法。     

Explicit use of the Biot coefficient in predicting shear-wave velocity of water-saturated sediments

Predicting the shear‐wave (S‐wave) velocity is important in seismic modelling, amplitude analysis with offset, and other exploration and engineering applications. Under the low‐frequency approximation, the classical Biot–Gassmann theory relates the Biot coefficient to the bulk modulus of water‐saturated sediments. If the Biot coefficient under in situ conditions can be estimated, the shear modulus or the S‐wave velocity can be calculated. The Biot coefficient derived from the compressional‐wave (P‐wave) velocity of water‐saturated sediments often differs from and is less than that estimated from the S‐wave velocity, owing to the interactions between the pore fluid and the grain contacts. By correcting the Biot coefficients derived from P‐wave velocities of water‐saturated sediments measured at various differential pressures, an accurate method of predicting S‐wave velocities is proposed. Numerical results indicate that the predicted S‐wave velocities for consolidated and unconsolidated sediments agree well with measured velocities.     

Empirical shear wave velocity equations in terms of characteristic soil indexes

An investigation to systematize empirical equations for the shear wave velocity of soils was made in terms of four characteristic indexes. The adopted indexes are the N-value of the Standard Penetration Test, depth where the soil is situated, geological epoch and soil type. As some of these indexes are variates belonging to interval scales while others belong to nominal or ordinal scales, the technique known as a multivariate analysis cannot be employed. A new approach to the theory of quantification, after C. Hayashi, was introduced and developed for solving this difficulty. Fifteen sets of empirical equations to estimate low strain shear wave velocity theoretically may be obtained by combining the above four indexes. All of these sets were derived by use of about 300 data, and their accuracies were evaluated by means of correlation coefficients between the measured and estimated shear wave velocities. The best equation was found to be the one which included all the indexes, and its correlation coefficient was 0.86. The empirical equation relating the standard penetration N-value to the shear wave velocity provided a correlation of only 0.72, and is one of the lowest ranking among the 15 sets of equations.     

Physical and Mechanical Properties of Serpentinized Ultrabasic Rocks in NW Turkey

Serpentinized ultrabasic rocks crop out at various places in the northwestern part of Turkey. They are the foundation rocks of some architecture and the ground under road bases in many areas. They are also frequently used for indoor work such as tables, shafts, pilasters, jambs for chimney pieces and ornaments of different kinds. Owing to their economic importance, in situ geophysical and geotechnical studies were conducted to determine their dynamic engineering parameters such as: P- and S-wave velocities, Poisson’s ratio, rigidity modulus, elasticity modulus, bulk modulus, natural period, safe bearing capacity, and bearing coefficient. Geophysical and geotechnical laboratory tests were performed on cylindrical specimens cored across and along the foliation planes: ultrasonic measurements of compressional pulse velocity (UPV), uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), point load index (Is₍₅₀₎), and static elasticity modulus (Es); effective porosity (n), dry unit weight (DUW), and saturated unit weight (?_s) sets of the rock specimens were determined. Finally, statistical correlations were performed by regression analysis to evaluate the relationships between UCS and Is₍₅₀₎, UPV, Es; UPV and Is₍₅₀₎, DUW, ?_s, n, and Es.     

Dispersion and radial depth of investigation of borehole modes

Sonic techniques in geophysical prospecting involve elastic wave velocity measurements that are performed by placing acoustic transmitters and receivers in a fluid‐filled borehole. The signals recorded at the receivers are processed to obtain compressional‐ and shear‐wave velocities in the surrounding formation. These velocities are generally used in seismic surveys for the time‐to‐depth conversion and other formation parameters, such as porosity and lithology. Depending upon the type of transmitter used (e.g. monopole or dipole) and as a result of eccentering, it is possible to excite axisymmetric (n= 0) , flexural (n= 1) and quadrupole (n= 2) families of modes propagating along the borehole. We present a study of various propagating and leaky modes that includes their dispersion and attenuation characteristics caused by radiation into the surrounding formation. A knowledge of propagation characteristics of borehole modes helps in a proper selection of transmitter bandwidth for suppressing unwanted modes that create problems in the inversion for the compressional‐ and shear‐wave velocities from the dispersive arrivals. It also helps in the design of a transmitter for a preferential excitation of a given mode in order to reduce interference with drill‐collar or drilling noise for sonic measurements‐while‐drilling. Computational results for the axisymmetric family of modes in a fast formation with a shear‐wave velocity of 2032 m/s show the existence of Stoneley, pseudo‐Rayleigh and anharmonic cut‐off modes. In a slow formation with a shear‐wave velocity of 508 m/s, we find the existence of the Stoneley mode and the first leaky compressional mode which cuts in at approximately the same normalized frequency ωa/V_S= 2.5 (a is the borehole radius) as that of the fast formation. The corresponding modes among the flexural family include the lowest‐order flexural and anharmonic cut‐off modes. For both the fast and slow formations, the first anharmonic mode cuts in at a normalized frequency ωa/V_S= 1.5 approximately. Cut‐off frequencies of anharmonic modes are inversely proportional to the borehole radius in the absence of any tool. The borehole quadrupole mode can also be used for estimating formation shear slownesses. The radial depth of investigation with a quadrupole mode is marginally less than that of a flexural mode because of its higher frequency of excitation.     

Shear and dilatational wave velocities for unsaturated soils

The primary objective of this study is for presenting some simple-to-use expressions relating the shear and dilatational wave velocities (V_S and V_P) to some physical and constitutive parameters of unsaturated soils. To this purpose, a simplified formulation is developed using the theory of linear poroelasticity in conjunction with some constitutive parameters widely used in geotechnical engineering. The derived expressions are of practical interest in view of the fact that they could be employed for evaluating the involved soil parameters from V_S and V_P measurements by in-situ or laboratory geophysical tests.     

Building and Testing an <Emphasis Type="Italic">a priori</Emphasis> Geophysical Model for Western Eurasia and North Africa

We construct and evaluate a new three-dimensional model of crust and upper mantle structure in Western Eurasia and North Africa (WENA) extending to 700 km depth and having 1° parameterization. The model is compiled in an a priori fashion entirely from existing geophysical literature, specifically, combining two regionalized crustal models with a high-resolution global sediment model and a global upper mantle model. The resulting WENA1.0 model consists of 24 layers: water, three sediment layers, upper, middle, and lower crust, uppermost mantle, and 16 additional upper mantle layers. Each of the layers is specified by its depth, compressional and shear velocity, density, and attenuation (quality factors, Q _P and Q _S ). The model is tested by comparing the model predictions with geophysical observations including: crustal thickness, surface wave group and phase velocities, upper mantle _n velocities, receiver functions, P-wave travel times, waveform characteristics, regional 1-D velocities, and Bouguer gravity. We find generally good agreement between WENA1.0 model predictions and empirical observations for a wide variety of independent data sets. We believe this model is representative of our current knowledge of crust and upper mantle structure in the WENA region and can successfully be used to model the propagation characteristics of regional seismic waveform data. The WENA1.0 model will continue to evolve as new data are incorporated into future validations and any new deficiencies in the model are identified. Eventually this a priori model will serve as the initial starting model for a multiple data set tomographic inversion for structure of the Eurasian continent.     

Effects of pore aspect ratios on velocity prediction from well‐log data

We develop a semi‐empirical model which combines the theoretical model of Xu and White and the empirical formula of Han, Nur and Morgan in sand–clay environments. This new model may be used for petrophysical interpretation of P‐ and S‐wave velocities. In particular, we are able to obtain an independent estimation of aspect ratios based on log data and seismic velocity, and also the relationship between velocities and other reservoir parameters (e.g. porosity and clay content), thus providing a prediction of shear‐wave velocity. To achieve this, we first use Kuster and Toksöz's theory to derive bulk and shear moduli in a sand–clay mixture. Secondly, Xu and White's model is combined with an artificial neural network to invert the depth‐dependent variation of pore aspect ratios. Finally these aspect ratio results are linked to the empirical formula of Han, Nur and Morgan, using a multiple regression algorithm for petrophysical interpretation. Tests on field data from a North Sea reservoir show that this semi‐empirical model provides simple but satisfactory results for the prediction of shear‐wave velocities and the estimation of reservoir parameters.     

基于典型地质特征分析的大同盆地VS30预测研究

土体剪切波速是进行土层地震反应分析的动力学参数，对场地地震动参数确定具有重要意义。基于地质地貌分析，将大同盆地划分为5类典型地质单元。对盆地1429个钻孔剪切波速资料进行分析，探讨V_S30与V_S20的相关性，研究土体埋深、岩性、地质单元、标贯击数及密实度等地质特征对V_S的影响，并基于地质单元、剪切波速比、密实度系数及第四系上部覆盖层厚度相关性分析给出土体V_S30预测模型。研究结果表明，基于典型地质特征的V_S30预测模型拟合优度R2>0.90，预测精度很高，对于离散性较大、直接拟合估算较差及无剪切波速场地来说，以区分地质单元及土体类型的方式进行V_S30分解预测是良好的研究思路。首次在区分地质单元及土体类型的前提下提出剪切波速比及密实度系数，并将其与第四系上部覆盖层厚度综合应用于V_S30预测研究。研究结果可为大同盆地城市防震减灾规划、震害预测、区域性地震安全评价提供重要技术支撑。     

Ultrasonic Velocities, Acoustic Emission Characteristics and Crack Damage of Basalt and Granite

Acoustic emissions (AE), compressional (P), shear (S) wave velocities, and volumetric strain of Etna basalt and Aue granite were measured simultaneously during triaxial compression tests. Deformation-induced AE activity and velocity changes were monitored using twelve P-wave sensors and eight orthogonally polarized S-wave piezoelectric sensors; volumetric strain was measured using two pairs of orthogonal strain gages glued directly to the rock surface. P-wave velocity in basalt is about 3 km/s at atmospheric pressure, but increases by > 50% when the hydrostatic pressure is increased to 120 MPa. In granite samples initial P-wave velocity is 5 km/s and increases with pressure by < 20%. The pressure-induced changes of elastic wave speed indicate dominantly compliant low-aspect ratio pores in both materials, in addition Etna basalt also contains high-aspect ratio voids. In triaxial loading, stress-induced anisotropy of P-wave velocities was significantly higher for basalt than for granite, with vertical velocity components being faster than horizontal velocities. However, with increasing axial load, horizontal velocities show a small increase for basalt but a significant decrease for granite. Using first motion polarity we determined AE source types generated during triaxial loading of the samples. With increasing differential stress AE activity in granite and basalt increased with a significant contribution of tensile events. Close to failure the relative contribution of tensile events and horizontal wave velocities decreased significantly. A concomitant increase of double-couple events indicating shear, suggests shear cracks linking previously formed tensile cracks.     

The influence of dry and water saturated cracks on seismic velocities of crustal rocks - A comparison of experimental data with theoretical model

The pressure dependence of P- and S-wave velocities, velocity anisotropy, shear wave splitting and crack-porosity has been investigated in a number of samples from different crustal rock types for dry and wet (water saturated) conditions. At atmospheric pressure, P-wave velocities of the saturated, low-porosity rocks (< 1%) are significantly higher than in dry rocks, whereas the differences for S-wave velocities are less pronounced. The effect of intercrystalline fluids on seismic properties at increased pressure conditions is particularly reflected by the variation of the Poisson's ratio because P-wave velocities are more sensitive to fluids than S-wave velocities in the low-porosity rocks. Based on the experimental data, the respective crack-density parameter (), which is a measure of the number of flat cracks per volume unit contained within the background medium (crack-free matrix), has been calculated for dry and saturated conditions. There is a good correlation between the calculated crack-densities and crack-porosities derived from the experimentally determined volumetric strain curves. The shear wave velocity data, along with the shear wave polarisation referred to a orthogonal reference system, have been used to derive the spatial orientation of effective oriented cracks within a foliated biotite gneiss. The experimental data are in reasonable agreement with the self consistent model of O'Connell and Budiansky (1974). Taking the various lithologies into account, it is clear from the present study, that combined seismic measurements ofV _p andV _s , using theV _p V _s -ratio, may give evidence for fluids on grain boundaries and, in addition, may provide an estimate on the in-situ crack-densities.     

Velocities of compressional and shear waves in limestones

Carbonate rocks are important hydrocarbon reservoir rocks with complex textures and petrophysical properties (porosity and permeability) mainly resulting from various diagenetic processes (compaction, dissolution, precipitation, cementation, etc.). These complexities make prediction of reservoir characteristics (e.g. porosity and permeability) from their seismic properties very difficult. To explore the relationship between the seismic, petrophysical and geological properties, ultrasonic compressional‐ and shear‐wave velocity measurements were made under a simulated in situ condition of pressure (50 MPa hydrostatic effective pressure) at frequencies of approximately 0.85 MHz and 0.7 MHz, respectively, using a pulse‐echo method. The measurements were made both in vacuum‐dry and fully saturated conditions in oolitic limestones of the Great Oolite Formation of southern England. Some of the rocks were fully saturated with oil. The acoustic measurements were supplemented by porosity and permeability measurements, petrological and pore geometry studies of resin‐impregnated polished thin sections, X‐ray diffraction analyses and scanning electron microscope studies to investigate submicroscopic textures and micropores. It is shown that the compressional‐ and shear‐wave velocities (V_p and V_s, respectively) decrease with increasing porosity and that V_p decreases approximately twice as fast as V_s. The systematic differences in pore structures (e.g. the aspect ratio) of the limestones produce large residuals in the velocity versus porosity relationship. It is demonstrated that the velocity versus porosity relationship can be improved by removing the pore‐structure‐dependent variations from the residuals. The introduction of water into the pore space decreases the shear moduli of the rocks by about 2 GPa, suggesting that there exists a fluid/matrix interaction at grain contacts, which reduces the rigidity. The predicted Biot–Gassmann velocity values are greater than the measured velocity values due to the rock–fluid interaction. This is not accounted for in the Biot–Gassmann velocity models and velocity dispersion due to a local flow mechanism. The velocities predicted by the Raymer and time‐average relationships overestimated the measured velocities even more than the Biot model.     

Near-surface attenuation modelling based on rock shear-wave velocity profile

In a previous study published in this journal, the authors developed a comprehensive methodology for modelling the shear wave velocity profile in crustal rock, for purposes of seismic hazard assessment. The derived shear wave velocity profile was used to estimate the amplification and attenuation mechanisms in the transmission of seismic waves. The ability to conduct seismic hazard assessments in regions of low and moderate seismicity is greatly enhanced by this new modelling approach, given that developing a local attenuation model based on curve-fitting strong motion data is generally not feasible under such conditions. This paper reports a follow-up study conducted to evaluate the significance of near-surface attenuation in bedrock (as distinct from attenuation in unconsolidated soft soil sediments). The κ parameter is used to characterize the extent of this attenuation mechanism. Empirical correlations of κ with two forms of near-surface shear wave velocity parameter in crustal rock have been developed, employing information obtained from global sources in conjunction with that from local studies. The resulting development of two simple equations to predict median values of κ as functions of readily available shear wave velocity parameters represents the key outcome of this study. Applications of the proposed empirical approaches to determine κ have been provided, taking Hong Kong and Melbourne as case studies to illustrate different aspects of the proposed methodology. Consistency between the results obtained by the two recommended approaches has thereby been demonstrated.     

AN ULTRASONIC PROFILING INVESTIGATION ON SOME FRESH AND WEATHERED GRANITES OF HYDERABAD,INDIA*

The ultrasonic profiling method of measuring the compressional and shear wave velocities in cylindrical rock samples is extended to measurements in some weathered and fresh granite blocks collected from the Hyderabad (India) region. This possibility of the method provides a means of investigating the elastic properties of the less compact rocks, of which the near-surface formations are particularly important. In this article the important parts of the ultrasonic profiling instrument developed are described and the relevant aspects of the seismic wave fields and identification of the individual waves in the wavetrain responses to longitudinal excitation are considered. Compressional, shear and surface (Rayleigh) wave velocities in some fresh and weathered granites are detailed. The compressional velocities range from 4.8 km/s to 5.5 km/s in fresh granites and lie between 1.1 km/s and 2.5 km/s in weathered granites. Young's modulus and Poisson's ratios computed from the measured velocities are also presented. An empirical relation of the form log E= 4.27 + 2.11 log V_p between Young's modulus E and compressional velocities V_p in the fresh granites studied is deduced. The versatility of the approach is thus demonstrated.     

Neural network estimation of duration of strong ground motion using Japanese earthquake records

The duration of strong motion has a significant influence on the severity of ground shaking. In this work, a combination of average values of four geophysical properties of site (Standard Penetration Test (SPT) blow count, primary wave velocity, shear wave velocity, and density of soil) including hypocentral distance of less than 50 km and magnitudes more than 5.0 from Japanese ground motion records were used for development of neural network model, to estimate duration of strong ground motion. Since majority of strong motion databases provide only average shear wave velocity for site characterization, an attempt has also been made to train the neural network with magnitude, hypocentral distance and average shear wave velocity as three input variables. Results obtained from this study show that the duration of strong motion is mostly dependent on average shear wave velocity rather than other geophysical properties of site.     

HYDROGEOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF PARTS OF THE BRITISH TRIAS*

Laboratory studies of Bunter Sandstone specimens from Northwest Lancashire, Shropshire, West Cumberland, and the Vale of Clwyd have indicated that the parameters effective porosity, intergranular permeability, compressional wave velocity, formation resistivity factor, and effective matrix resistivity have significantly different distributions in each of these four regions. Regression analyses have shown that bivariate and trivariate expressions for the prediction of the two hydrological parameters from petrophysical data vary from region to region. It is concluded that, in quantitative geophysical investigations of these formations, each area must be investigated independently. For all four aquifers, and for both horizontally and vertically oriented specimens, effective porosity can be most reliably and readily estimated through a bivariate relationship involving formation resistivity factor. On the other hand, the best estimate of intergranular permeability from geophysical data is obtained through a trivariate expression involving both formation resistivity factor and effective matrix resistivity. The use of hydrogeophysical relationships to estimate hydrological parameters in situ is illustrated by reference to field examples.     

The estimation of shear-wave statics using in situ measurements in marine near-surface sediments

Shear‐wave statics in marine seismic exploration data are routinely too large to be estimated using conventional techniques. Near‐surface unconsolidated sediments are often characterized by low values of V_s and steep velocity gradients. Minor variations in sediment properties at these depths correspond to variations in the shear‐wave velocity and will produce significant static shifts. It is suggested that a significant proportion of the shear‐wave statics solution can be estimated by performing a separate high‐resolution survey to target near‐surface unconsolidated sediments. Love‐wave, shear‐wave refraction and geotechnical measurements were individually used to form high‐resolution near‐surface shear‐wave velocity models to estimate the shear‐wave statics for a designated survey line. Comparisons with predicted statics revealed that shear‐wave statics could not be estimated using a velocity model predicted by substituting geotechnical measurements into empirical relationships. Empirical relationships represent a vast simplification of the factors that control V_s and are therefore not sufficiently sensitive to estimate shear‐wave statics. Refraction measurements are potentially sensitive to short‐wavelength variations in sediment properties when combined with accurate navigational data. Statics estimated from Love‐wave data are less sensitive, and sometimes smoothed in appearance, since interpreted velocity values represent an average both laterally and vertically over the receiver array and the frequency–depth sensitivity range, respectively. For the survey site, statics estimated from near‐surface irregularities using shear‐wave refraction measurements represent almost half the total statics solution. More often, this proportion will be greater when bedrock relief is less.     

Nondimensional sediment transport capacity of sand soils and its response to parameter in the Loess Plateau of China

Soil erosion is a major contributor to land degradation in the Loess Plateau in China. To clarify the sediment transport capacity of overland flow influenced by hydraulic parameters, such as shear stress, sand shear stress (hydraulic gradient partition method and hydraulic radius partition method), mean flow velocity, Froude number, stream power, and unit stream power, indoor experiments with eight-unit-width flow discharges from 0.0667 × 10⁻³ to 0.3333 × 10⁻³ m²·s⁻¹, six slope gradients from 3.49 to 20.79%, and two kinds of sand soils (d₅₀ = 0.17 and 0.53 mm) were systematically investigated. A nondimensional method was adopted in data processing. Results showed that there was a partition phenomenon of relation curves because of the different median grain diameters. The correlation between the nondimensional stream power and nondimensional sediment transport capacity was the highest, followed by the correlation between the nondimensional unit stream power and nondimensional sediment transport capacity. However, there was a poor correlation between the flow intensity indices of velocity category and nondimensional sediment transport capacity. Nondimensional stream power, nondimensional unit stream power, and nondimensional shear stress could predict sediment transport capacity well. Ignoring the partition phenomenon of the relation curves, stream power could be used to predict sediment transport capacity, with a coefficient of determination of .85. Furthermore, a general flow intensity index was obtained to predict sediment transport capacity of overland flow. Finally, an empirical formula for predicting sediment transport capacity with a coefficient of determination of .90 was established by multiple regression analyses based on the general flow intensity index. During the analysis between measured sediment transport capacities in present study and predicted values based on Zhang model, Mahmoodabadi model, and Wu model, it was found that these three models could not accurately predict sediment transport capacities of this study because different models are estimated on the basis of different experimental conditions.