The role of seismic methods in investigation of rock mass

The existence of cracks in a rock mass causes the reduction of seismic wave velocity and the anisotropy of seismic wave velocity, which is characteristic for rocks with preferred orientation of cracks. The present study concerns sedimentary rocks (sandstone, limestone) and igneous rocks (basalt, granite). Studying the relationship between seismic anisotropy and cracks anisotropy in rocks I was only interested in fractures perpendicular to the layering. This allowed me to calculate two-dimensional crack tensors and velocity tensors in planes parallel to the layer surface. An application of tensor calculus enables to take into account both geometry and orientation of cracks. The obtained results confirm that the directions of major axes of second-rank velocity tensor prove the relationship consistent with predictions of theoretical models. Owing to these dependences, seismic methods can be used to study the cracks anisotropy in rocks inaccessible for direct observations.