The effect of crack orientation on the nonlinear interaction of a P wave with an S wave

TitleThe effect of crack orientation on the nonlinear interaction of a P wave with an S wave
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2016
AuthorsTenCate, JA, Malcolm, AE, Feng, X, Fehler, M
JournalGeophysical Research Letters
Issue127-8262346162133
Pagination6146 - 6152
Date PublishedApr-06-2018
Abstract

Cracks, joints, fluids, and other pore-scale structures have long been hypothesized to be the cause of the large elastic nonlinearity observed in rocks. It is difficult to definitively say which pore-scale features are most important, however, because of the difficulty in isolating the source of the nonlinear interaction. In this work, we focus on the influence of cracks on the recorded nonlinear signal and in particular on how the orientation of microcracks changes the strength of the nonlinear interaction. We do this by studying the effect of orientation on the measurements in a rock with anisotropy correlated with the presence and alignment of microcracks. We measure the nonlinear response via the traveltime delay induced in a low-amplitude P wave probe by a high-amplitude S wave pump. We find evidence that crack orientation has a significant effect on the nonlinear signal.

URLhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/2016GL069219
DOI10.1002/2016GL069219
Short TitleGeophys. Res. Lett.