Relationships between compressional-wave and shear-wave velocities in clastic silicate rocks

Abstract New velocity data in addition to literature data derived from sonic log, seismic, and laboratory measurements are analyzed for clastic silicate rocks. These data demonstrate simple systematic relationships between compressional and shear wave velocities. For water-saturated clastic silicate rocks, shear wave velocity is approximately linearly related to compressional wave velocity and the compressional-to-shear velocity ratio decreases with increasing compressional velocity. Laboratory data for dry sandstones indicate a nearly constant compressional-to-shear velocity ratio with rigidity approximately equal to bulk modulus. Ideal models for regular packings of spheres and cracked solids exhibit behavior similar to the observed water-saturated and dry trends. For dry rigidity equal to dry bulk modulus, Gassmann's equations predict velocities in close agreement with data from the water-saturated rock.