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Patterns in nature are often interpreted as a product of reaction-diffusion processes which result in dissipative structures. Thermodynamic constraints allow prediction of the final state but the dynamic evolution of the microprocesses is hidden. We introduce a new microphysics-based approach that couples the microscale cross-constituent interactions to the large-scale dynamic behaviour, which leads to the discovery of a family of soliton-like excitation waves. These waves can appear in hydromechanically coupled porous media as a reaction to external stimuli. They arise, for instance, when mechanical forcing of the porous skeleton releases internal energy through a phase change, leading to tight coupling of the pressure in the solid matrix with the dissipation of the pore fluid pressure. In order to describe these complex multiscale interactions in a thermodynamic consistent framework, we consider a dual-continuum system, where the large-scale continuum properties of the matrix–fluid interaction are described by a reaction-self diffusion formulation, and the small-scale dissipation of internal energy by a reaction-cross diffusion formulation that spells out the macroscale reaction and relaxes the adiabatic constraint on the local reaction term in the conventional reaction-diffusion formalism. Using this approach, we recover the familiar Turing bifurcations (e.g. rhythmic metamorphic banding), Hopf bifurcations (e.g. Episodic Tremor and Slip) and present the new excitation wave phenomenon. The parametric space is investigated numerically and compared to serpentinite deformation in subduction zones.

Our limited knowledge of the relationship between changes in the state of an aquifer or reservoir and the corresponding changes in the elastic moduli, that is the rock physics model, hampers the effective use of time-lapse seismic observations for estimating flow properties within the Earth. A central problem is the complicated dependence of the magnitude of time-lapse changes on the saturation, pressure, and temperature changes within an aquifer or reservoir. We describe an inversion methodology for reservoir characterization that uses onset times, the calendar time of the change in seismic attributes, rather than the magnitude of the changes. We find that onset times are much less sensitive than magnitudes to the rock physics model used to relate time-lapse observations to changes in saturation, temperature and fluid pressure. We apply the inversion scheme to observations from daily monitoring of enhanced oil recovery at the Peace River field in Canada. An array of 1492 buried hydrophones record seismic signals from 49 buried sources. Time-shifts for elastic waves traversing the reservoir are extracted from the daily time-lapse cubes. In our analysis 175 images of time-shifts are transformed into a single map of onset times, leading to a substantial reduction in the volume of data. These observations are used in conjunction with bottom hole pressure data to infer the initial conditions prior to the injection, and to update the reservoir permeability model. The combination of a global and local inversion scheme produces a collection of reservoir models that are best described by three clusters. The updated model leads to a nearly 70 percent reduction in seismic data misfit. The final set of solutions successfully predict the observed normalized pressure history during the soak and flow-back into the wells between 82 and 175 days into the cyclic steaming operation.

We analyse 67 new conductive heat-flow measurements on the southern flank of the Costa Rica Rift (CRR). Heat-flow measurements cover five sites ranging in oceanic crustal age between approximately 1.6 and 5.7 Ma, and are co-located with a high-resolution multichannel seismic line that extends from slightly north of the first heat-flow site (1.6 Ma) to beyond ODP Hole 504B in 6.9 Ma crust. For the five heat-flow sites, the mean observed conductive heat flow is approximate to 85 mW m(-2). This value is approximately 30 per cent of the mean lithospheric heat flux expected from a half-space conductive cooling model, indicating that hydrothermal processes account for about 70 per cent of the heat loss. The advective heat loss fraction varies from site to site and is explained by a combination of outcrop to outcrop circulation through exposed basement outcrops and discharge through faults. Supercritical convection in Layer 2A extrusives occurs between 1.6 and 3.5 Ma, and flow through a thinly sedimented basement high occurs at 4.6 Ma. Advective heat loss diminishes rapidly between approximate to 4.5 and approximate to 5.7 Ma, which contrasts with plate cooling reference models that predict a significant deficit in conductive heat flow up to ages approximate to 65 +/- 10 Ma. At approximate to 5.7 Ma the CRR topography is buried under sediment with an average thickness of approximate to 150 m, and hydrothermal circulation in the basement becomes subcritical or perhaps marginally critical. The absence of significant advective heat loss at approximate to 5.7 Ma at the CRR is thus a function of both burial of basement exposure under the sediment load and a reduction in basement permeability that possibly occurs as a result of mineral precipitation and original permeability at the time of formation. Permeability is a non-monotonic function of age along the southern flank of the CRR, in general agreement with seismic velocity tomography interpretations that reflect variations in

Our limited knowledge of the relationship between changes in the state of an aquifer or reservoir and the corresponding changes in the elastic moduli, that is the rock physics model, hampers the effective use of time-lapse seismic observations for estimating flow properties within the Earth. A central problem is the complicated dependence of the magnitude of time-lapse changes on the saturation, pressure, and temperature changes within an aquifer or reservoir. We describe an inversion methodology for reservoir characterization that uses onset times, the calendar time of the change in seismic attributes, rather than the magnitude of the changes. We find that onset times are much less sensitive than magnitudes to the rock physics model used to relate time-lapse observations to changes in saturation, temperature and fluid pressure. We apply the inversion scheme to observations from daily monitoring of enhanced oil recovery at the Peace River field in Canada. An array of 1492 buried hydrophones record seismic signals from 49 buried sources. Time-shifts for elastic waves traversing the reservoir are extracted from the daily time-lapse cubes. In our analysis 175 images of time-shifts are transformed into a single map of onset times, leading to a substantial reduction in the volume of data. These observations are used in conjunction with bottom hole pressure data to infer the initial conditions prior to the injection, and to update the reservoir permeability model. The combination of a global and local inversion scheme produces a collection of reservoir models that are best described by three clusters. The updated model leads to a nearly 70 percent reduction in seismic data misfit. The final set of solutions successfully predict the observed normalized pressure history during the soak and flow-back into the wells between 82 and 175 days into the cyclic steaming operation.

We analyse 67 new conductive heat-flow measurements on the southern flank of the Costa Rica Rift (CRR). Heat-flow measurements cover five sites ranging in oceanic crustal age between approximately 1.6 and 5.7 Ma, and are co-located with a high-resolution multichannel seismic line that extends from slightly north of the first heat-flow site (1.6 Ma) to beyond ODP Hole 504B in 6.9 Ma crust. For the five heat-flow sites, the mean observed conductive heat flow is approximate to 85 mW m(-2). This value is approximately 30 per cent of the mean lithospheric heat flux expected from a half-space conductive cooling model, indicating that hydrothermal processes account for about 70 per cent of the heat loss. The advective heat loss fraction varies from site to site and is explained by a combination of outcrop to outcrop circulation through exposed basement outcrops and discharge through faults. Supercritical convection in Layer 2A extrusives occurs between 1.6 and 3.5 Ma, and flow through a thinly sedimented basement high occurs at 4.6 Ma. Advective heat loss diminishes rapidly between approximate to 4.5 and approximate to 5.7 Ma, which contrasts with plate cooling reference models that predict a significant deficit in conductive heat flow up to ages approximate to 65 +/- 10 Ma. At approximate to 5.7 Ma the CRR topography is buried under sediment with an average thickness of approximate to 150 m, and hydrothermal circulation in the basement becomes subcritical or perhaps marginally critical. The absence of significant advective heat loss at approximate to 5.7 Ma at the CRR is thus a function of both burial of basement exposure under the sediment load and a reduction in basement permeability that possibly occurs as a result of mineral precipitation and original permeability at the time of formation. Permeability is a non-monotonic function of age along the southern flank of the CRR, in general agreement with seismic velocity tomography interpretations that reflect variations in

Gravitational compaction of thick (2-10 km) sediment accumulations in sedimentary basins is controlled by the interplay of mechanical and chemical processes that operate over many orders of magnitude in spatial scale. The compaction of sediments into rock typically involves a density increase of ≈500 to 1000 kg m−3, occurring over a depth-scale of several kilometres. The volume decrease in the compacting sediments releases vast volumes of water, which plays an important part in the global hydrological cycle and also in tectonic and geochemical processes; including the formation of hydrocarbon and mineral deposits. This study utilizes recently developed tomographic seismic images from the Porcupine Basin, which lies in the deep-water North Atlantic Ocean. A generic method for predicting fluid pressure variations that are driven by gravitational compaction is developed over the scale of the entire sedimentary basin. The methodology is grounded upon both observational evidence and empirically based theories, relying on geophysical measurements and relationships between sediment porosities and densities. The method is based upon physical concepts that are widely used in the petroleum industry and applied extensively in models of overpressure development in sedimentary basins. Geological and geophysical data from exploration wells are used to test the predictions of the method at two locations within the basin and are found to be in good agreement with the theory

At contaminated sites, knowledge about geology and hydraulic properties of the subsurface and extent of the contamination is needed for assessing the risk and for designing potential site remediation. In this study, we have developed a new approach for characterizing contaminated sites through time-domain spectral induced polarization. The new approach is based on: (1) spectral inversion of the induced polarization data through a reparametrization of the Cole–Cole model, which disentangles the electrolytic bulk conductivity from the surface conductivity for delineating the contamination plume; (2) estimation of hydraulic permeability directly from the inverted parameters using a laboratory-derived empirical equation without any calibration; (3) the use of the geophysical imaging results for supporting the geological modelling and planning of drilling campaigns. The new approach was tested on a data set from the Grindsted stream (Denmark), where contaminated groundwater from a factory site discharges to the stream. Two overlapping areas were covered with seven parallel 2-D profiles each, one large area of 410 m × 90 m (5 m electrode spacing) and one detailed area of 126 m × 42 m (2 m electrode spacing). The geophysical results were complemented and validated by an extensive set of hydrologic and geologic information, including 94 estimates of hydraulic permeability obtained from slug tests and grain size analyses, 89 measurements of water electrical conductivity in groundwater, and four geological logs. On average the IP-derived and measured permeability values agreed within one order of magnitude, except for those close to boundaries between lithological layers (e.g. between sand and clay), where mismatches occurred due to the lack of vertical resolution in the geophysical imaging. An average formation factor was estimated from the correlation between the imaged bulk conductivity values and the water conductivity values measured in groundwater, in order to convert t

© The Authors 2017. When pH and alkalinity increase, calcite frequently precipitates and hence modifies the petrophysical properties of porous media. The complex conductivity method can be used to directly monitor calcite precipitation in porous media because it is sensitive to the evolution of the mineralogy, pore structure and its connectivity. We have developed a mechanistic grain polarization model considering the electrochemical polarization of the Stern and diffuse layers surrounding calcite particles. Our complex conductivity model depends on the surface charge density of the Stern layer and on the electrical potential at the onset of the diffuse layer, which are computed using a basic Stern model of the calcite/water interface. The complex conductivity measurements of Wu et al. on a column packed with glass beads where calcite precipitation occurs are reproduced by our surface complexation and complex conductivity models. The evolution of the size and shape of calcite particles during the calcite precipitation experiment is estimated by our complex conductivity model. At the early stage of the calcite precipitation experiment, modelled particles sizes increase and calcite particles flatten with time because calcite crystals nucleate at the surface of glass beads and grow into larger calcite grains. At the later stage of the calcite precipitation experiment, modelled sizes and cementation exponents of calcite particles decrease with time because large calcite grains aggregate over multiple glass beads and only small calcite crystals polarize.

When pH and alkalinity increase, calcite frequently precipitates and hence modifies the petrophysical properties of porous media. The complex conductivity method can be used to directly monitor calcite precipitation in porous media because it is sensitive to the evolution of the mineralogy, pore structure and its connectivity. We have developed a mechanistic grain polarization model considering the electrochemical polarization of the Stern and diffuse layers surrounding calcite particles. Our complex conductivity model depends on the surface charge density of the Stern layer and on the electrical potential at the onset of the diffuse layer, which are computed using a basic Stern model of the calcite/water interface. The complex conductivity measurements of Wu et al. on a column packed with glass beads where calcite precipitation occurs are reproduced by our surface complexation and complex conductivity models. The evolution of the size and shape of calcite particles during the calcite precipitation experiment is estimated by our complex conductivity model. At the early stage of the calcite precipitation experiment, modelled particles sizes increase and calcite particles flatten with time because calcite crystals nucleate at the surface of glass beads and grow into larger calcite grains. At the later stage of the calcite precipitation experiment, modelled sizes and cementation exponents of calcite particles decrease with time because large calcite grains aggregate over multiple glass beads and only small calcite crystals polarize.

A strategy is presented to incorporate prior information from conceptual geological models in probabilistic inversion of geophysical data. The conceptual geological models are represented by multiple-point statistics training images (TIs) featuring the expected lithological units and structural patterns. Information from an ensemble of TI realizations is used in two different ways. First, dominant modes are identified by analysis of the frequency content in the realizations, which drastically reduces the model parameter space in the frequency-amplitude domain. Second, the distributions of global, summary metrics (e.g. model roughness) are used to formulate a prior probability density function. The inverse problem is formulated in a Bayesian framework and the posterior pdf is sampled using Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation. The usefulness and applicability of this method is demonstrated on two case studies in which synthetic crosshole ground-penetrating radar traveltime data are inverted to recover 2-D porosity fields. The use of prior information from TIs significantly enhances the reliability of the posterior models by removing inversion artefacts and improving individual parameter estimates. The proposed methodology reduces the ambiguity inherent in the inversion of high-dimensional parameter spaces, accommodates a wide range of summary statistics and geophysical forward problems.

A strategy is presented to incorporate prior information from conceptual geological models in probabilistic inversion of geophysical data. The conceptual geological models are represented by multiple-point statistics training images (TIs) featuring the expected lithological units and structural patterns. Information from an ensemble of TI realizations is used in two different ways. First, dominant modes are identified by analysis of the frequency content in the realizations, which drastically reduces the model parameter space in the frequency-amplitude domain. Second, the distributions of global, summary metrics (e.g. model roughness) are used to formulate a prior probability density function. The inverse problem is formulated in a Bayesian framework and the posterior pdf is sampled using Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation. The usefulness and applicability of this method is demonstrated on two case studies in which synthetic crosshole ground-penetrating radar traveltime data are inverted to recover 2-D porosity fields. The use of prior information from TIs significantly enhances the reliability of the posterior models by removing inversion artefacts and improving individual parameter estimates. The proposed methodology reduces the ambiguity inherent in the inversion of high-dimensional parameter spaces, accommodates a wide range of summary statistics and geophysical forward problems.

Time-lapse monitoring is useful for imaging changes in geophysical attributes due to fluid flow. In trying to use time-lapse data for reservoir characterization, difficulties often arise when relating changes in geophysical observations to changes in fluid saturation and pressure. As an alternative approach for reservoir monitoring and characterization, we introduce the idea of an onset time, the time at which a measured quantity, such as a seismic traveltime or a reflection amplitude, begins to deviate from its background value. We illustrate the idea and demonstrate its utility through the consideration of traveltimes recorded by the continuous active source seismic monitoring system at the Frio pilot site near Houston, Texas. The system, which transmits an elastic wave every 15 min, is used to monitor the movement of carbon dioxide injected into a permeable sand formation. From these data we can estimate the onset of changes in seismic traveltimes to six receivers in an adjacent borehole. Numerical simulation and synthetic tests indicate that the onset times are not very sensitive to the method used to compute the effective fluid bulk modulus and, correspondingly, the seismic compressional velocity. Rather, the onset times are strongly influenced by saturation changes within the formation, specifically by the break-through time of the injected fluid phase. By means of an iterative inversion algorithm we use the onset times to estimate permeability variations between the boreholes at the Frio pilot site. © The Authors 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Royal Astronomical Society.

Time-lapse monitoring is useful for imaging changes in geophysical attributes due to fluid flow. In trying to use time-lapse data for reservoir characterization, difficulties often arise when relating changes in geophysical observations to changes in fluid saturation and pressure. As an alternative approach for reservoir monitoring and characterization, we introduce the idea of an onset time, the time at which a measured quantity, such as a seismic traveltime or a reflection amplitude, begins to deviate from its background value. We illustrate the idea and demonstrate its utility through the consideration of traveltimes recorded by the continuous active source seismic monitoring system at the Frio pilot site near Houston, Texas. The system, which transmits an elastic wave every 15 min, is used to monitor the movement of carbon dioxide injected into a permeable sand formation. From these data we can estimate the onset of changes in seismic traveltimes to six receivers in an adjacent borehole. Numerical simulation and synthetic tests indicate that the onset times are not very sensitive to the method used to compute the effective fluid bulk modulus and, correspondingly, the seismic compressional velocity. Rather, the onset times are strongly influenced by saturation changes within the formation, specifically by the break-through time of the injected fluid phase. By means of an iterative inversion algorithm we use the onset times to estimate permeability variations between the boreholes at the Frio pilot site. © The Authors 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Royal Astronomical Society.

An effective poroelastic model is proposed that describes seismic attenuation and dispersion in periodically layeredmedia. In this model, the layers represent mesoscopic-scale heterogeneities (larger than the grain and pore sizes but smaller than the wavelength) that can occur both in fluid and solid properties. The proposed effectivemedium is poroelastic, contrary to previously introduced models that lead to effective viscoelastic media. The novelty lies in the application of the pressure continuity boundary conditions instead of no-flow conditions at the outer edges of the elementary cell. The approach results in effective Biot elastic moduli and effective porosity that can be used to obtain responses of heterogeneous media in a computationally fast manner. The model is validated by the exact solution obtained with the use of Floquet’s theory. Predictions of the new effective poroelastic model are more accurate than the predictions of the corresponding effective viscoelastic model when the Biot critical frequency is of the same order as the frequency of excitation, and for materials with weak frame. This is the case for media such as weak sandstones, weakly consolidated and unconsolidated sandy sediments. The reason for the improved accuracy for materials with low Biot critical frequency is the inclusion of the Biot global flow mechanism which is not accounted for in the effective viscoelastic media. At frequencies significantly below the Biot critical frequency and for wellconsolidated porous rocks, the predictions of the new model are in agreement with previous solutions., Geoscience & Engineering, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

An effective poroelastic model is proposed that describes seismic attenuation and dispersion in periodically layeredmedia. In this model, the layers represent mesoscopic-scale heterogeneities (larger than the grain and pore sizes but smaller than the wavelength) that can occur both in fluid and solid properties. The proposed effectivemedium is poroelastic, contrary to previously introduced models that lead to effective viscoelastic media. The novelty lies in the application of the pressure continuity boundary conditions instead of no-flow conditions at the outer edges of the elementary cell. The approach results in effective Biot elastic moduli and effective porosity that can be used to obtain responses of heterogeneous media in a computationally fast manner. The model is validated by the exact solution obtained with the use of Floquet’s theory. Predictions of the new effective poroelastic model are more accurate than the predictions of the corresponding effective viscoelastic model when the Biot critical frequency is of the same order as the frequency of excitation, and for materials with weak frame. This is the case for media such as weak sandstones, weakly consolidated and unconsolidated sandy sediments. The reason for the improved accuracy for materials with low Biot critical frequency is the inclusion of the Biot global flow mechanism which is not accounted for in the effective viscoelastic media. At frequencies significantly below the Biot critical frequency and for wellconsolidated porous rocks, the predictions of the new model are in agreement with previous solutions., Geoscience & Engineering, Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Anisotropy is a petrophysical property of natural stone and other construction materials that determines their quality and resistance to decay due to a variety of agents, such as water. A study was conducted on nine types of stone widely used in Spain's built heritage, using six previously defined anisotropy indices. These indices can be used to determine the degree of anisotropy, which helps explain the differential decay observed in stone materials quarried in the same bed and used to build the same structure. The conclusion reached is that anisotropy should be determined in the natural stone used both to restore the architectural heritage and in new construction, since the appropriate choice of material quality ensures greater resistance to decay and, therefore, increased durability. Materials with the lowest possible anisotropy should be selected, as this property governs their hydraulic behaviour: the lower the anisotropy in a material, the better its behaviour in relation to water and the longer its durability.

The aim of this paper is to present an alternative method for the analysis of resistivity data. The methodology was developed during a study to evaluate if electrical resistivity can be used as a tool for analysing subsurface gas dynamics and gas emissions from landfills. The main assumption of this study was that variations in time of resistivity data correspond to variations in the relative amount of gas and water in the soil pores. Field measurements of electrical resistivity, static chamber gas flux and weather data were collected at a landfill in Helsingborg, Sweden. The resistivity survey arrangement consisted of nine lines each with 21 electrodes in an investigation area of 16 x20 m. The ABEM Lund Imaging System provided vertical and horizontal resistivity profiles every second hour. The data were inverted in Res3Dinv using L-1-norm-based optimization method with a standard least-squares formulation. Each horizontal soil layer was then represented as a linear interpolated raster model. Different areas underneath the gas flux measurement points were defined in the resistivity model of the uppermost soil layer, and the vertical extension of the zones could be followed at greater depths in deeper layer models. The average resistivity values of the defined areas were calculated and plotted on a time axis, to provide graphs of the variation in resistivity with time in a specific section of the ground. Residual variation of resistivity was calculated by subtracting the resistivity variations caused by the diurnal temperature variations from the measured resistivity data. The resulting residual resistivity graphs were compared with field data of soil moisture, precipitation, soil temperature and methane flux. The results of the study were qualitative, but promising indications of relationships between electrical resistivity and variations in the relative amount of gas and water in the soil pores were found. Even though more research and better data quality is necess

An asymptotic method, valid in the presence of smoothly varying heterogeneity, is used to derive a semi-analytic solution to the equations for fluid and solid displacements in a poroelastic medium. The solution is defined along trajectories through the porous medium model, in the manner of ray theory. The lowest order expression in the asymptotic expansion provides an eikonal equation for the phase. There are three modes of propagation, two modes of longitudinal displacement and a single mode of transverse displacement. The two longitudinal modes define the Biot fast and slow waves which have very different propagation characteristics. In the limit of low frequency, the Biot slow wave propagates as a diffusive disturbance, in essence a transient pressure pulse. Conversely, at low frequencies the Biot fast wave and the transverse mode are modified elastic waves. At intermediate frequencies the wave characteristics of the longitudinal modes are mixed. A comparison of the asymptotic solution with analytic and numerical solutions shows reasonably good agreement for both homogeneous and heterogeneous earth models. Journal compilation © 2009 RAS No claim to original US government works.

An asymptotic method, valid in the presence of smoothly varying heterogeneity, is used to derive a semi-analytic solution to the equations for fluid and solid displacements in a poroelastic medium. The solution is defined along trajectories through the porous medium model, in the manner of ray theory. The lowest order expression in the asymptotic expansion provides an eikonal equation for the phase. There are three modes of propagation, two modes of longitudinal displacement and a single mode of transverse displacement. The two longitudinal modes define the Biot fast and slow waves which have very different propagation characteristics. In the limit of low frequency, the Biot slow wave propagates as a diffusive disturbance, in essence a transient pressure pulse. Conversely, at low frequencies the Biot fast wave and the transverse mode are modified elastic waves. At intermediate frequencies the wave characteristics of the longitudinal modes are mixed. A comparison of the asymptotic solution with analytic and numerical solutions shows reasonably good agreement for both homogeneous and heterogeneous earth models. Journal compilation © 2009 RAS No claim to original US government works.