Long-wave seismic anisotropy of heterogeneous reservoirs

Abstract

Borehole logs often show considerable variation over small lengths, consistent with fine layering of the formation. Elastic upscaling allows layering on a fine length scale to be replaced by thicker, homogeneous equivalent transversely isotropic layers, thus creating a model with far fewer layers. In this paper, the effect of inclusions of finite lateral extent on elastic upscaling is examined. For inclusions with a small thickness to width ratio, Backus averaging gives a good approximation to the long-wavelength elastic properties of the medium. However, for larger thickness to width ratios, the anisotropy of the medium can be significantly reduced. For inclusions that are long in comparison to their width, azimuthal anisotropy may result if the inclusions show a preferential orientation. This could result from the presence of flow during deposition. The azimuthal anisotropy increases with increasing thickness to width ratio of the inclusions, and vanishes when this ratio is zero. For larger thickness to width ratios, the magnitude of the azimuthal anisotropy may be of similar magnitude to that commonly seen in sedimentary basins. Azimuthal anisotropy is usually attributed to the presence of aligned fractures within the formation. The present results suggest a further source of azimuthal anisotropy that may be significant.