Low-Frequency Asymptotic Analysis of Seismic Reflection From a Fluid-Saturated Medium

Reflection of a seismic wave from a plane interface between two elastic media does not depend on the frequency. If one of the media is poroelastic and fluid-saturated, then the reflection becomes frequency-dependent. This paper presents a low-frequency asymptotic formula for the reflection of seismic plane p-wave from a fluid-saturated porous medium. The obtained asymptotic scaling of the frequency-dependent component of the reflection coefficient shows that it is asymptotically proportional to the square root of the product of the reservoir fluid mobility and the frequency of the signal. The dependence of this scaling on the dynamic Darcy’s law relaxation time is investigated as well. Derivation of the main equations of the theory of poroelasticity from the dynamic filtration theory reveals that this relaxation time is proportional to Biot’s tortuosity parameter.