Can one hear the shape of a saturation patch?

Abstract

The theory of the acoustics of patchy-saturation in porous media is used to analyze experimental data on wave velocity and attenuation in partially water saturated limestones. It is demonstrated that the theory can be used to deduce the value of V/A, the ratio of the volume to area of the water patch, and lf, the Poisson size of the water patch. One can "hear" the shape of a patch if the properties of the rock and the measurement frequencies are such as to satisfy the specific requirements for the validity of the theory.