Linear‐transform techniques for processing shear‐wave anisotropy in four‐component seismic data

Geophysics ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 240-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang‐Yang Li ◽  
Stuart Crampin

Most published techniques for analyzing shear‐wave splitting tend to be computing intensive, and make assumptions, such as the orthogonality of the two split shear waves, which are not necessarily correct. We present a fast linear‐transform technique for analyzing shear‐wave splitting in four‐component (two sources/ two receivers) seismic data, which is flexible and widely applicable. We transform the four‐component data by simple linear transforms so that the complicated shear‐wave motion is linearized in a wide variety of circumstances. This allows various attributes to be measured, including the polarizations of faster split shear waves and the time delays between faster and slower split shear waves, as well as allowing the time series of the faster and slower split shear waves to be separated deterministically. In addition, with minimal assumptions, the geophone orientations can be estimated for zero‐offset verticle seismic profiles (VSPs), and the polarizations of the slower split shear waves can be measured for offset VSPs. The time series of the split shear‐waves can be separated before stack for reflection surveys. The technique has been successfully applied to a number of field VSPs and reflection data sets. Applications to a zero‐offset VSP, an offset VSP, and a reflection data set will be presented to illustrate the technique.

Geophysics ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 211-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Ramos‐Martínez ◽  
Andrey A. Ortega ◽  
George A. McMechan

Splitting of zero‐offset reflected shear‐waves is measured directly from three‐component finite‐difference synthetic seismograms for media with intersecting vertical crack systems. Splitting is simulated numerically (by finite differencing) as a function of crack density, aspect ratio, fluid content, bulk density, and the angle between the crack systems. The type of anisotropy symmetry in media containing two intersecting vertical crack systems depends on the angular relation between the cracks and their relative crack densities, and it may be horizontal transverse isotropy (HTI), tetragonal, orthorhombic, or monoclinic. The transition from one symmetry to another is visible in the splitting behavior. The polarities of the reflected quasi‐shear waves polarized perpendicular and parallel to the source particle motion distinguish between HTI and orthorhombic media. The dependence of the measured amount of splitting on crack density for HTI symmetry is consistent with that predicted theoretically by the shear‐wave splitting factor. In orthorhombic media (with two orthogonal crack systems), a linear increase is observed in splitting when the difference between crack densities of the two orthogonal crack systems increases. Splitting decreases nonlinearly with the intersection angle between the two crack systems from 0° to 90°. Surface and VSP seismograms are simulated for a model with several flat homogeneous layers, each containing vertical cracks with the same and with different orientations. When the crack orientation varies with depth, previously split shear waves are split again at each interface, leading to complicated records, even for simple models. Isotropic and anisotropic three‐component S-wave zero‐offset sections are synthesized for a zero‐offset survey line over a 2.5-D model of a carbonate reservoir with a complicated geometry and two intersecting, dipping crack sets. The polarization direction of the fast shear wave, propagating obliquely through the cracked reservoir, is predicted by theoretical approximations for effective properties of anisotropic media with two nonorthogonal intersecting crack sets.


2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongping Qian ◽  
Xiang‐Yang Li ◽  
Mark Chapman ◽  
Yonggang Zhang ◽  
Yanguang Wang

Geophysics ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enru Liu ◽  
Stuart Crampin ◽  
David C. Booth

Shear‐wave splitting, diagnostic of some form of effective seismic anisotropy, is observed along almost all near‐vertical raypaths through the crust. The splitting is caused by propagation through distributions of stress‐aligned vertical parallel fluid‐filled cracks, microcracks, and preferentially oriented pore space that exist in most crustal rocks. Shear waves have severe interactions with the free surface and may be seriously disturbed by the surface and by near‐surface layers. In principle, cross‐hole surveys (CHSs) should be free of much of the near‐surface interference and could be used for investigating shear waves at higher frequencies and greater resolution along shorter raypaths than is possible with reflection surveys and VSPs. Synthetic seismograms are examined to estimate the effects of vertical cracks on the behavior of shear waves in CHS experiments. The azimuth of the CHS section relative to the strike of the cracks is crucial to the amount of information about seismic anisotropy that can be extracted from such surveys. Interpretation of data from only a few boreholes located at azimuths chosen from other considerations is likely to be difficult and inconclusive. Application to interpreting acoustic events generated by hydraulic pumping is likely to be more successful.


Geophysics ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. MA1-MA7 ◽  
Author(s):  
James P. Verdon ◽  
J.-Michael Kendall ◽  
Shawn C. Maxwell

Hydraulic fracturing is used to create pathways for fluid migration and to stimulate production. Usually, water is the injected fluid, although alternative fluids such as carbon dioxide [Formula: see text] have been used recently. The amount of fracturing that [Formula: see text] can induce is also of interest for the security of carbon capture and storage. Hydraulic fracturing is usually monitored using passive seismic arrays, detecting microseismic events generated by the fracturing. It is of interest to compare the amount of seismicity that [Formula: see text] injection can generate in comparison with water. With this in mind, we have analyzed a passive seismic data set monitoring the injection of water and supercritical [Formula: see text] under very similar conditions, allowing us to make a direct comparison be-tween the fluids. We examined event locations and event magnitudes, and we used shear-wave splitting to image the fractures that are generated. For both fluids,the event locations map the formation of fractures moving away from the injection well with normals parallel to the minimum principal stress. The events during water injection are limited to the injection depth, while during [Formula: see text] injection, activity migrates above the injection depth. Event magnitudes are similar in both cases, and larger event magnitudes appear to correlate with higher injection pressures. Shear-wave splitting suggests that water injection generates more fractures, though the data quality is not good enough to make a robust conclusion about this. The comparability between water and [Formula: see text] injection means that lessons can be learned from the abundant experience of conventional water injection.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Andreas Wessel

<p>This thesis presents an automatic shear wave splitting measurement tool and the results from its application to data recorded in the vicinity of Mt. Ruapehu volcano on the North Island of New Zealand. The best methodology and parameters for routine automatic monitoring are determined and approximately 10,000 events are processed. About 50% of all S-phases lead to measurements of acceptable quality. Results obtained with this technique are reproducible and objective, but more scattered than results from manual measurements. The newly developed automatic measurement tool is used to measure shear wave splitting for previously analysed data and for new data recorded in 2003-2007. In contrast to previous studies at Mt. Ruapehu, we have a larger and continuous data set from numerous three-component seismic stations. No major temporal changes are found within the new data, but results vary for di erent station locations. I</p>


Geophysics ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. WC157-WC166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Wuestefeld ◽  
James P. Verdon ◽  
J-Michael Kendall ◽  
James Rutledge ◽  
Huw Clarke ◽  
...  

We have analyzed seismic anisotropy using shear-wave-splitting measurements made on microseismic events recorded during a hydraulic fracture experiment in a tight gas reservoir in Carthage, east Texas. Microseismic events were recorded on two downhole arrays of three-component sensors, the geometry of which provided good ray coverage for anisotropy analysis. A total of 16,633 seismograms from 888 located events yielded 1545 well-constrained shear-wave-splitting measurements. Manual analysis of splitting from a subset of this data set reveals temporal changes in splitting during fracturing. Inversion using the full data set allows the identification of fracture strike and density, which is observed to vary during fracturing. The recovered fracture strike in the rock mass is parallel to directions of regional borehole breakout, but oblique to the hydraulic fracture corridor as mapped by the microseismic event. We relate this to en-echelon fracturing of preexisting cracks. The magnitude of shear-wave splitting shows a clear temporal increase during each pumping stage, indicating the generation of cracks and fissures in a halo around the fracture corridor, which thus increase the overall permeability of the rock mass. Our results show that shear-wave-splitting analysis can provide a useful tool for monitoring spatial and temporal variations in fracture networks generated by hydraulic stimulation.


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