Relationship between P‐ and S‐wave velocities and geological properties of near‐surface sediments of the continental slope of the Barents Sea

Abstract

Seismic velocities (Vp and Vs) of compressional (P‐) and shear (S‐) waves are important parameters for the characterization of marine sediments with respect to their sedimentological and geotechnical properties. P‐ and S‐wave velocity data of near‐surface marine sediments (upper 9 m) of the continental slope of the Barents Sea are analysed and correlated to sedimentological and geotechnical properties. The results show that the S‐wave velocity is much more sensitive to changes in lithology and mechanical properties than the P‐wave velocity, which is characterized by a narrow range of values. The correlation coefficients between S‐wave velocity and silt and clay content, wet bulk density, porosity, water content and shear strength are higher than 0.5 while the correlation coefficients of P‐wave velocity and the same parameters are always lower than 0.4. Although the relationship between Vs and clay content has been widely described, the data show that Vs is better correlated with silt content than with clay content for the sediments of the area investigated. However, they show different trends. While Vs increases with increasing clay content, it decreases with increasing silt content.