Velocities of elastic waves andv P/v S ratios in dry and water-saturated rock samples at high pressure

Abstract

Elastic wave velocities and the ratiov P/v S were studied for dry and initially saturated samples of carbonate and crystalline rocks at pressures to 2 kbar. In initially saturated samplesv P increases in crystalline rock, whereas in sedimentary rock it may either increase or decrease with increasing pressure. Under the same conditionsv S remains approximately constant in crystalline rocks and decreases in sedimentary samples. The ratiov P/v S as a function of pressure increases in dry rocks and decreases in saturated ones. Saturated samples always have higherv P/v S ratios than dry ones. It appears that the geometry of the pore space influences the acoustic properties of saturated crystalline rocks.