A new model for acoustic-poroelastic coupling of compressional body and Stoneley waves at a fault zone

TL;DR

This paper introduces a comprehensive model for acoustic-poroelastic coupling that predicts Stoneley wave responses in boreholes, aiding in the interpretation of seismic data for fault zone analysis.

Contribution

The paper develops a new analytical model incorporating elastic boundaries, fluid infiltration, and borehole irregularities, verified against Biot's theory, to better understand Stoneley wave generation.

Findings

Tube waves have opposite polarities at elastic boundaries.

Wave shapes differ for thin poroelastic layers.

Model predictions align with observed data at the Nojima fault.

Abstract

In vertical seismic profiling (VSP), Stoneley (tube) waves are generated due to the coupling between the borehole fluid and the surrounding poroelastic formation. The tube waves have been exploited in the past to infer the in-situ hydraulic properties. In order to understand better the physical mechanisms underlying the generation of tube waves at a fault zone, we develop a new model that calculates the pressure responses in a borehole. The model incorporates simultaneous effects of elastic impedance boundaries, fluid infiltration from poroelastic formation, and irregularities in the borehole radius. The analytical tube-wave amplitudes are derived from the new model assuming a normally incident plane P wave, verified by complete numerical solutions for Biot's theory of dynamic poroelasticity. We find that the upgoing and downgoing tube waves due to an elastic impedance boundary have opposite polarities, and those excited by a thin poroelastic layer have different wave shapes. The model also enables the prediction of a VSP response at a major fault zone in Japan (Nojima fault). Our quantitative evaluation suggests that tube waves are generated by elastic impedance boundaries and borehole irregularities around the main shear zone of the fault, as well as due to the presence of several porous layers. We also find that the modeled amplitudes agree well with the observation, especially when assuming a heterogeneous permeability distribution. The developed model and the presented results will be crucial in quantitatively interpreting the VSP data in order to estimate the fault zone's hydraulic properties.