Fluid‐property discrimination with AVO: A Biot‐Gassmann perspective

Abstract

This analysis draws together basic rock physics, amplitude variations with offset (AVO), and seismic amplitude inversion to discuss how fluid‐factor discrimination can be performed using prestack seismic data. From both Biot and Gassmann theories for porous, fluid‐saturated rocks, a general formula is first derived for fluid‐factor discrimination given that both the P and S impedances are available. In essence, the two impedances are transformed so that they better differentiate between the fluid and rock matrix of the porous medium. This formula provides a more sensitive discriminator of the pore‐fluid saturant than the acoustic impedance and is especially applicable in hard‐rock environments. The formulation can be expressed with either the Lamé constants and density, or the bulk and shear moduli and density. Numerical and well‐log examples illustrate the applicability of this approach. AVO inversion results are then incorporated to show how this method can be implemented using prestack seismic data. Finally, a shallow gas‐sand example from Alberta and a well‐log example from eastern Canada are shown to illustrate the technique.