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Chapter 1
Theory of elasticity
Seismic waves are stress (mechanical) waves that are generated as a response to
The force that generates this stress comes from our source of seismic energy such
The stress will produce strain (i.e., deformation) in the material. Stress and strain
Stress
Stress, denoted by , is force per unit area, with units of pressure such as Pascal
xy denotes a stress produced by a force that is parallel to the x-axis acting upon
possible combination of the coordinate system axes (xx, xy, xz, yx, yy, yz,
xx xy xz
yx yy yz
zx zy zz
.
However, because of equilibrium (i.e., body is not moving but only deforming as
a result of stress application): ij = ji, meaning that xy = yx, yz = zy, and zx =
xz.
They are called normal stresses if the force is perpendicular to the surface (xx,
yy, zz); and shearing stresses if the force is tangential to the surface (xy, yz,
xx yy zz yz xz xy
Strain
For example, if a rod of length L is stretched by an amount L, the strain is L/L.
components (xx, xy, xz, yx, yy, yz, zx, zy, zz). This defines the strain matrix:
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xx xy xz
yx yy yz
zx zy zz
However, because of equilibrium: ij = ji, meaning that xy = yx, yz = zy, and zx
xx yy zz 2 yz 2 xz 2 xy
Shearing strains: xy = v/x + u/y, yz = w/y + v/z, zx = u/z +
w/x.
The dilatation () is the change in volume (V) per unit volume (V):
Hooke’s Law
It states that, at sufficiently small strains (≤ 10-6), the strain is directly proportional to
The strains produced by the passage of seismic waves in earth materials are such that
( 4)
C (1)
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( 4)
where is the stress matrix, is the strain matrix, and C is the elastic-constants
Because of the symmetry relations in stress, strain, and strain energy (giving Cijkl =
medium. This number reduces as more symmetry relations exist in the medium.
The least number of IECs exists in an isotropic medium, which has only 2 IECs.
These are called Lame’s constants and . is also called the rigidity or shear
Isotropy simply means that a wave property, such as velocity, is independent of wave
propagation direction.
position.
Unless specified otherwise, we will always assume that a single layer is:
Elastic: meaning that the stress and strain satisfy Hooke’s law.
Homogeneous: meaning that layer properties (e.g., velocity) are constant across
propagation direction.
Lame’s constants and are defined through the following forms of Hooke’s law
Young’s modulus (E) is defined as: E = xx/xx, (for uniaxial stress along the x-axis
Poisson’s ratio () is defined as: = -yy/xx = -zz/xx. Typically, 0 < < 0.5. It is
small for hard rocks and large for soft rocks. For a perfect fluid, = 0, = 0.5.
The bulk modulus () is defined as: = /, (for hydrostatic stress: yy=zz=xx=).
The scalar wave equation of a displacement (u) that depends only on x and t is:
1 2u 2u
( 2) 2 2 ,
V t x
where V is the wave velocity.
The general solution of this wave equation is a plane wave given by:
f(x – Vt) is a wave traveling along the positive x-axis with a velocity V
g(x + Vt) is a wave traveling along the negative x-axis with a velocity V
(Figure)
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The surface on which the phase is the same (i.e., have same amplitude) is called the
wavefront.
The normal to the wavefront surface at a point is called ray or propagation direction.
The most commonly used wavefronts in geophysics are the plane and spherical.
Wavefronts are spherical near the source and become planar far from it.
As the wave’s frequency band increases, its time duration (length) decreases. We
Seismic waves are sinusoids that generally have wide frequency bands (2-120 Hz)
and very short time durations (50-100 ms). Such waves are called wavelets.
The wave velocity (V), frequency (f), and wavelength () are related as follows:
V = f.
Most of the reflected energy is contained within a frequency range of 2 – 120 Hz.
Sonic wave: wave in the hearing frequency range of humans (20 – 20,000 Hz).
Ultrasonic wave: wave whose frequency is more than 20,000 Hz, commonly used
Subsonic wave: wave whose frequency is less than 20 Hz, commonly encountered
in earthquake studies.
Huygens’ principle
It states that every point on a wavefront can be regarded as a secondary source that
emits spherical wavefronts. The common tangent to the secondary wavefronts in the
Fermat’s principle
It states that a wave will take that path which will make its traveltime between the
dT / dX = 0,
X: distance from the source to the point where the wave changes its
In most situations in the earth, the stationary path is the minimum-time path.
They distort the volume element of an elastic medium by traveling inside it.
There are two types of body waves: the primary (P) wave and the secondary (S)
wave.
P-wave
2
,
S-wave
.
Particle motion is perpendicular to the wave propagation direction. Hence, there are
two S-waves.
To distinguish these two S-waves, we call them the S1- and S2-waves or the SH- and
SV-waves (Link).
0 1
,
2
In air:
In water:
In sedimentary rocks:
They exist due to the presence of a free surface (vacuum over any material) or an
They are called surface waves because they are tied to the free surface or interface.
Their amplitudes decay exponentially with the distance from the surface.
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Rayleigh waves
They propagate along the free surface of a solid (i.e., surface between solid and
vacuum).
The following is true about the relation of Rayleigh wave velocity (VR) to body-wave
VR < < .
Particle motion is largest and elliptical retrograde near the surface and becomes
Tube waves
Tube waves constitute of waves that travel in a borehole parallel to the borehole axis.
They can provide information about the formation surrounding the borehole.
The most common types of tube waves are P-waves propagating in the borehole fluid,
borehole wall.
Figure.
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Anisotropy
Seismic anisotropy is the variation of a seismic property (e.g., velocity) with the
The anisotropy type in a medium depends on its symmetry system (e.g., cubic,
hexagonal … etc).
The symmetry system of a medium defines what happens to its properties upon
TI involves a property that is the same within a plane (called the isotropy plane) but
different along an axis (called the symmetry axis), which is perpendicular to the
(1) Vertical Transverse Isotropy (VTI) that has a vertical symmetry axis. The main
(2) Horizontal Transverse Isotropy (HTI) that has a horizontal symmetry axis. The
Figure.
In TI media, velocity is lowest when measured parallel to the symmetry axis and
In TI media, S-wave splits into a fast (S1) wave perpendicular to the symmetry axis
Most transversely isotropic sedimentary rocks have weak anisotropy (i.e., < 0.1).
Geometrical spreading
As the wavefront gets farther from the source, it spreads over a larger surface area
I (r ) I 0 r m ,
where I0 and I(r) are intensities on the wavefront at the source (r = 0) and a distance r
However, since we usually record the amplitude, which is the square root of intensity,
A0 A(r ).r
where A0 and A(r) are amplitudes on the wavefront at the source (r = 0) and a distance r
Example.
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Absorption
It is the loss of wave amplitude due to the transformation of elastic energy to thermal
A(r ) A0e .r ,
where A0 and A(r) are amplitudes of a plane wavefront at two points a distance r
apart,
Therefore, to correct amplitudes for absorption effects, we use the following relation:
A0 A(r )e .r .
Geometrical spreading dominates at low frequencies and short distances from the
source, while absorption dominates at high frequencies and greater distances from the
source.
The distances and frequencies involved in seismic exploration are such that
Summary:
Dispersion
Dispersion is negligible for body waves but considerable for surface waves (Figure).
Interface-related effects
properties), some of the energy is reflected back to the incident medium and the rest
Sin1 Sin 2
p,
V1 V2
Snell’s law applies even when the wave mode (P- or S-wave) differs.
V1
c Sin 1 .
V2
When 1 = c, head waves are generated which travel along the interface in the
For 1 > c, total internal reflection takes place. That is, no energy will be transmitted
Diffraction
It takes place when the wave encounters an abrupt lateral change in the elastic
Snell’s law does not apply for diffractions and Huygens’s principle is used instead.
o A reflected P-wave
o A reflected SV-wave
o A refracted P-wave
o A refracted SV-wave.
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On the other hand, a SH-wave incident on an interface between two solids will
generate only:
o A reflected SH-wave
o A refracted SH-wave.
The amplitudes of reflected and refracted waves are found by applying the above
boundary conditions at the interface and solving the resultant Zoeppritz equations.
At non-normal incidence (i 0), the exact reflection and refraction coefficients we
get from Zoeppritz equations are very algebraically complicated functions of the P-
and S-wave velocities and densities in the two media as well as the angles of
At normal incidence (i = 0), the reflection (R) and transmission (T) coefficients
Z 2 Z1 2 Z1
R T 1 R ,
Z 2 Z1 Z 2 Z1
The normal incidence formulas can still be used for slight deviation from the normal
Approximations of Zoeppritz equations (e.g., Shuey, 1985) can be used up – but not
equal - to the critical angle to calculate R. These approximations are commonly used
A reflection coefficient of -0.3 means that 30% of the seismic energy will be reflected
to the incident medium after amplitude polarity reversal. The remaining 70% will be
transmitted into the refraction medium also with no amplitude polarity reversal.