Two common rock physics templates (RPTs) that are used to identify geological facies and fluid trends derived from well log or pre-stack inverted seismic data involve cross-plotting VP/VS ratio against acoustic impedance, IP (the product of P-wave velocity, VP, and density) and mu-rho against lambda-rho, where mu and lambda are the Lam矣oefficients extracted from P and S-wave velocity, called the LMR, or LambdaMuRho, method. Using well log examples from an Alberta gas well and a deeper North Sea oil well, we show how to superimpose constant mu-rho and lambda-rho curves on a VP/VS versus IP cross-plot, which produce orthogonal trends of stiffness or porosity (from mu-rho) and fluid saturation (from lambda-rho) that match the data trends reasonably well. We then consider the related technique of KMR, or KMuRho, where K represents bulk modulus, and show how to superimpose constant K-rho trends on a VP/VS versus IP cross-plot. Again, we get orthogonal trends of stiffness or porosity (from mu-rho) and fluid saturation (from K-rho), but the fit to our real data examples is less accurate than with LMR. Using Biot-Gassmann poroelasticity theory, we generalize the LMR and KMR approaches into a technique we call FMR (Fluid-Mu-Rho). In the FMR techniques we introduce two new fitting parameters, f and d, where f is a fluid term derived from Biot-Gassmann theory, and d is the dry rock VP/VS ratio squared. When we superimpose fluid trends from the FMR technique on our two well log datasets, and adjust the f and d parameters, we achieve accurate fits to the datasets. Finally, we apply the FMR technique to a seismic case study from the Gulf of Mexico. In an appendix, we compare the FMR technique to the empirical Curved Pseudo-Elastic impedance, or CPEI, and Pseudo-Elastic Impedance for Lithology, or PEIL, methods.
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