Seismic Forward Modeling of Fractures and Fractured Medium Inversion

This detailed book systematically investigates subsurface geological fractures using rock mechanics, geology, and geophysics. Based on geological fracture mechanisms and fracture boundary conditions, it presents new finite-difference equations for the simulation of seismic wave responses to geological fractures, and proposes innovative AVO inversion equations for the accurate estimation of the rock properties of the fractured medium. It employs schematics, snapshots, color images and charts to demonstrate the mechanical characteristics of the fractures, the seismic wave-field response to the fractures, the seismic data attributes of the fractures and the rock properties of the fractures obtained via inversion. It provides a new methodology for enhancing geological fracture detection technology and for the accurate delineation of fractured reservoirs that ultimately benefits reservoir and mining engineers, geologists and geophysicists in terms of optimizing reservoir recovery, well performance and mining safety.

Xiaoqin Cui received BSc (1998) and MSc (2005) degrees in geophysics in China and a Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of Calgary (2015) in Canada. Her industrial career included 10 years in China and 7 years in Canada as a senior geophysical seismic data processor and seismic interpreter. Her research interests currently are in seismic forward modeling and seismic inversion. 

Laurence “Larry” Lines received B.Sc. and M.Sc. geophysics degrees from the University of Alberta (1971, 1973) and a Ph.D. in geophysics from UBC (1976). Following an industrial career of 17 years with Amoco, Dr. Lines held the NSERC/Petro-Canada Chair in Applied Seismology at Memorial University (1993-1997), and the Chair in Exploration Geophysics (1997-2002) at the University of Calgary. Larry served as SEG Editor (1997-1999) and as SEG President (2008-2009). Larry has twice won the Best Paper in Geophysics Award (1988, 1995). He is a member of APEGA, CSEG, EAGE, GST, SEG, and is a Fellow of Geoscientists Canada.

Edward S. Krebes received a BSc (1973) in Physics from the University of Alberta, an MSc in Physics (1973) from the University of British Columbia, and a PhD (1980) in Geophysics from the University of Alberta. He is currently a Professor of Geophysics in the Department of Geoscience at the University of Calgary. His primary research interests are in theoretical and computational seismology.

Suping Peng received a PhD from Beijing Graduate School of China University of Mining in 1988. He currently is the Distinguished Professor of geology and geophysics at China University of Mining and Technology, director of National Coal Resources and Safe Mining Laboratory and academician of the China Academy of Engineering (CAE). In his career, he was Member of the Advisory Committee of Experts of the National Energy Board of China, Member of the Key Basic Research of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Consultant from China of the World Resources Institute, Member of the International Committee for Energy.