Wave attenuation in partially saturated porous rocks: New observations and interpretations across the scales

Seismic waves propagating in porous rocks saturated with two immiscible fluids can be strongly attenuated. Predicting saturation effects on seismic responses requires a sound understanding of attenuation and velocity dependencies on the fluid distribution. Decoding these effects involves interpretin...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Caspari, Eva, Qi, Q., Lopes, Sofia, Lebedev, Maxim, Gurevich, Boris, Rubino, J., Velis, D., Clennel, M., Müller, T.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Society of Exploration Geophysicists 2014
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/21619
Description
Summary:Seismic waves propagating in porous rocks saturated with two immiscible fluids can be strongly attenuated. Predicting saturation effects on seismic responses requires a sound understanding of attenuation and velocity dependencies on the fluid distribution. Decoding these effects involves interpreting laboratory experiments, analyzing well-log data, and performing numerical simulations. Despite striking differences among scales, flow regimes, and frequency bands, some aspects of wave attenuation can be explained with a single mechanism — wave-induced pressure diffusion. Different facets of wave-induced pressure diffusion can be revealed across scales.