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Ultrasonics 46 (2007) 341348

www.elsevier.com/locate/ultras

The correlations between the saturated and dry P-wave velocity of rocks
S. Kahraman

Mining Engineering Department, Nigde University, Nigde, Turkey

Received 7 February 2007; received in revised form 31 May 2007; accepted 31 May 2007
Available online 7 June 2007

Abstract
Sometimes engineers need to estimate the wet-rock P-wave velocity from the dry-rock P-wave velocity. An estimation equation
embracing all rock classes will be useful for the rock engineers. To investigate the predictability of wet-rock P-wave velocity from the
dry-rock P-wave velocity, P-wave velocity measurements were performed on 41 dierent rock types, 11 of which were igneous, 15 of
which were sedimentary and 15 of which was metamorphic. In addition to the dry- and wet-rock P-wave velocity measurements, the
P-wave velocity changing as a function of saturation degree was studied. Moreover, dry-rock S-wave velocity measurements were conducted. The test results were modeled using Gassmanns and Woods theory and it was seen that the measured data did not t the
theories. The unconformity is due to the fact that the theories are valid for high-porosity unconsolidated sediments at low frequencies.
Gassmanns equation was modied for the rocks except high-porosity unconsolidated sediments.
The dry- and wet-rock P-wave velocity values were evaluated using regression analysis. A strong linear correlation between the
dry- and wet-rock P-wave velocities was found. Regression analyses were repeated for the rock classes and it was shown that correlation
coecients were increased. Concluding remark is that the derived equations can be used for the prediction of wet-rock P-wave velocity
from the dry-rock P-wave velocity.
 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Wet-rock P-wave velocity; Dry-rock P-wave velocity; Regression analysis

1. Introduction
Ultrasonic measurement is one of the non-destructive
geophysical methods commonly used by engineers working
in various elds such as mining, geotechnical, civil, underground engineering as well as for oil, gas minerals explorations. This method can be applied both in the laboratory
and in the eld. There are dierent application areas such
as the assessment of grouting [1,2], rockbolt reinforcement
[3], the determining of blasting eciencies in the rock
mass [4], the prediction of rock mass deformation and
stress [5,6], the determination of rock weathering degree
[7], rock mass characterization [8,9] and the estimation of
the extend of fracture zones developed around underground openings [10]. A number of study [1116] investi*

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E-mail address: sairkahraman@yahoo.com

0041-624X/$ - see front matter  2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.ultras.2007.05.003

gating ultrasonic propagation in fractured rock has been

carried out. Some researchers [1719] used the P-wave
velocity for the estimation of weathering depth of building
stones. Most researchers [2027] studied the relations
between rock properties and sound velocity and found that
sound velocity is closely related with rock properties.
There are a number of factors that inuence the sound
velocity of rocks. The important factors are rock type, texture, density, grain size and shape, porosity, anisotropy,
water content, stress and temperature. In addition to these
factors, rock mass properties also inuence the sound
velocity. Weathering and alteration zones, bedding planes
and joint properties (roughness, lling material, water,
dip and strike, etc.) have important inuence on the sound
velocity.
Some researchers have investigated the eect of water
content on the ultrasonic velocities. Wyllie et al. [28] investigated the variation of velocity in sandstone as a function

342

S. Kahraman / Ultrasonics 46 (2007) 341348

of water content. They showed that there is a marked

decrease in the P-wave velocity as the saturation is reduced
from 100% to approximately 70%, between 70% and 10%
the P-wave velocity is nearly constant and below 10% the
velocity is changeable. Wyllie et al. [29] clearly indicated
that the velocity of uid saturated rocks was dependent
on the ratio between the velocity of rock and the velocity
of pore uid. Thill and Bur [30] examined the inuence
of saturation on pulse velocity in St. Cloud granodiorite.
They found that a remarkable velocity changes can occur
even in compact rock having only a minute amount of
porosity. Nur and Simmons [31] measured the compressional wave velocity in a sample of Chelmsford granite, initially saturated with water but allowed to dry in the
atmosphere over a period of four days. They indicated that
a rapid change of velocity occurred in the rst a few hours
even though the porosity of the sample is only about 1%.
Ramana and Venkatanarayana [32] studied the eect of
water saturation on Kolar rocks. They showed that in general both weight and velocity increased with increasing
time of saturation. Beyond 48 h the saturation curves tends
to be steady. Wang et al. [33] determined both compressional and shear wave velocities in Alpine gneiss along its
principle fabric directions under dry and saturated conditions. The compressional wave velocities in all three directions increased remarkably as the sample was immersed in
the water, whereas the shear wave velocities indicated little
change. The greatest change took place in the compressional waves in the direction perpendicular to the foliation
of the rock. Gregory [34] investigated the inuence of saturation by water, oil, gas, and mixtures of these uids on
the densities, velocities, reection coecients, and elastic
modules of consolidated sedimentary rocks in the laboratory by ultrasonic wave propagation methods. He found
that uid saturation eects on compressional wave velocity
are much larger in low-porosity than in high-porosity
rocks. Lama and Vutukuri [24] stated that the wetting of
rocks usually leads to a rise in the P-wave velocities. Normally, the wave velocity in more porous rocks completely
saturated with water is lower than in slightly porous rocks,
because the P-wave velocity in water is less than the P-wave
velocity in mineral skeleton.
Although several researchers have investigated the eect
of saturation on P-wave velocity of dierent rocks, none of
them has derived an empirical equation between dry- and
wet-rock P-wave velocities. A correlation equation between
dry- and wet-rock P-wave velocities for the estimation purpose will be useful for the rock engineering applications. In
this study, the predictability of wet-rock P-wave velocity
from the dry-rock P-wave velocity was studied.
2. Sampling
Sound velocity tests were performed on 41 dierent rock
types, 11 of which were igneous, 15 of which were sedimentary and 15 of which was metamorphic. Rock blocks were
collected from the stone processing plants, quarries and

Table 1
The name, location and class of the rocks tested
Sample code Rock type

Location

Rock class

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41

Mut/Icel
Finike/Antalya
Godene/Konya
Bucak/Burdur
Sogutalan/Bursa
Korkuteli/Antalya
Demre/Antalya
Hazra/Diyarbakir
Karaman/Konya
Demre/Antalya
Bunyan/Kayseri
Fethiye/Mugla
Yildizeli/Sivas
Kavlaktepe/Nigde
Kolsuz/Nigde
Altintas/Kutahya
Iscehisar/Afyon
Yatagan/Mugla
Uckapili/Nigde
Gumusler/Nigde
Marmara island
Iscehisar/Afyon
Kemalpasa/Bursa
Milas/Mugla
Gumusler/Nigde
Gumusler/Nigde
Gumusler/Nigde
Gumusler/Nigde
Gumusler/Nigde
Kilavuzkoy/Nigde
Ortakoy/Aksaray
Kaman/Kirsehir
Ortakoy/Aksaray
Uckapili/Nigde
Altinhisar/Nigde
Yesilburc/Nigde
Meke/Konya
Unknown
Porrino/Spain
Porrino/Spain
Kozak/Balikesir

Sedimentary
Sedimentary
Sedimentary
Sedimentary
Sedimentary
Sedimentary
Sedimentary
Sedimentary
Sedimentary
Sedimentary
Sedimentary
Sedimentary
Sedimentary
Sedimentary
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Metamorphic
Metamorphic
Metamorphic
Metamorphic
Metamorphic
Metamorphic
Metamorphic
Metamorphic
Metamorphic
Metamorphic
Metamorphic
Metamorphic
Metamorphic
Metamorphic
Igneous
Igneous
Igneous
Igneous
Igneous
Igneous
Igneous
Igneous
Igneous
Igneous
Igneous

Travertine
Travertine (Limra)
Travertine
Travertine (Limra)
Limestone
Limestone
Travertine (Limra)
Limestone
Travertine
Travertine (DemreTasi)
Limestone
Limestone
Travertine
Sandstone
Sandstone
Marble
Marble (Afyon Sekeri)
Marble
Marble
Marble
Marble
Marble (Kaplan postu)
Marble
Marble
Migmatite
Quartzite
Gneiss
Amphibolite
Micaschist
Serpentinite
Granite (Anadolu grey)
Granite
Granite (Kircicegi)
Granite
Basalt
Andesite
Volcanic bomb
Granite (King rosa)
Granite (Rosa Porrino)
Granite (Pink Porrino)
Granite

natural outcrops in Turkey. Each block sample was

inspected for macroscopic defects so that it would provide
test specimens free from fractures, partings or alteration
zones. The name, location and class of the rocks are given
in Table 1.
3. Experimental studies
NX (54 mm) samples were cored from the block samples
in the laboratory. End surfaces of the core samples were cut
and polished suciently smooth plane to provide good coupling. A good acoustic coupling between the transducer face
and the soil surface is necessary for the accuracy of transit
time measurement. Stier grease was used as a coupling
agent in this study. Transducers were pressed to either end
of the sample and the pulse transit time was recorded. Pwave velocity values were calculated by dividing the length

S. Kahraman / Ultrasonics 46 (2007) 341348

Table 2
Dry- and saturated P-wave velocity and porosity values of the tested rocks
Sample
code

Dry-rock P-wave
velocity (km/s)

Wet-rock P-wave
velocity (km/s)

Velocity
dierence
(km/s)

Porosity
(%)

1a
2
3a
4
5
6
7
8
9
10a
11
12
13a
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27a
28a
29a
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41

4.23
4.31
4.98
4.26
5.63
5.34
4.57
5.40
4.78
4.56
5.11
5.45
5.24
4.67
4.85
4.99
5.58
3.44
4.98
4.60
3.81
4.71
4.55
3.40
5.50
5.15
4.01
3.73
3.42
5.46
5.59
4.76
4.94
4.38
4.38
5.12
4.11
4.79
3.87
4.20
4.74

5.60
5.89
6.92
5.65
7.65
6.72
5.77
6.72
6.26
6.55
6.57
7.22
7.00
6.24
6.25
6.90
7.91
5.73
7.12
6.88
6.23
7.52
6.86
5.52
7.56
7.17
5.98
5.61
5.28
7.17
7.43
6.51
6.85
6.04
6.15
6.46
5.90
6.54
5.82
5.74
6.26

1.4
1.6
1.9
1.4
2.0
1.4
1.2
1.3
1.5
2.0
1.5
1.8
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.9
2.3
2.3
2.1
2.3
2.4
2.8
2.3
2.1
2.1
2.0
2.0
1.9
1.9
1.7
1.8
1.8
1.9
1.7
1.8
1.3
1.8
1.8
2.0
1.5
1.5

9.90
6.14
2.85
13.05
0.35
0.29
13.44
2.48
15.51
1.85
1.38
0.21
1.16
1.40
1.78
0.18
0.19
0.34
0.23
0.26
0.37
0.43
0.41
0.24
0.65
0.39
0.46
1.05
0.98
0.27
0.69
0.71
0.62
0.47
2.10
5.20
3.20
0.35
1.01
3.59
0.98

a
Anisotropic rocks. Ultrasonic measurements were carried out perpendicular to the bedding or schistosity plane.

S-wave velocity measurements were carried out on the dry

samples.
Some of the tested rocks had bedding or schistose
planes. It is known that weakness planes reduce the velocity. In this study, experiments were carried out on the samples cored perpendicular to any visible bedding or schistose
plane in the laboratory.
Porosity values of each sample were determined from
the saturated and dry weights. Measured dry- and wet-rock
P-wave velocity values and porosity values are given in
Table 2.
4. Evaluation of the test results
To see the P-wave velocity changing on the samples
allowed to dry in the atmosphere over a period of 32 h,
Fig. 1 was plotted. As shown in Fig. 1, a rapid decrease
on P-wave velocity was occurred between 2 and 4 h. However, after 4 h there are no remarkable changes until 32 h.
When the P-wave velocity plots as a function of saturation degree was examined, it was shown that after initial
increasing with increasing saturation degree, P-wave velocity values were remained approximately same up to a saturation degree value depending on the rock properties. After
a value dened as threshold saturation degree (SDt), it was
seen that P-wave velocity values were rapidly increased.
The P-wave velocity plots as a function of saturation
degree for some rocks are given in Fig. 2. As shown in
Fig. 2, the SDt values vary between approximately 20%
and 85%. The reason why the SDt diers from rock to rock
was investigated. It was found that the SDt values largely
depend on the velocity dierence (DtP), i.e. the dierence
between wet- and dry-rock P-wave velocities. There is an
exponential relation between SDt and DtP as shown in
Fig. 3. SDt values decrease with increasing DtP values.
The P-wave velocity plots as a function of saturation
degree show some similarities to the results obtained by
Wyllie et al. [28] for sandstones and Gregory [28] for sedimentary rocks. The dierences are probably due to the fact

9
8

P-wave velocity (km/s)

of core to the pulse transit time. In the measurements, the

PUNDIT and two transducers (a transmitter and a receiver)
having a frequency of 1 MHz were used.
Firstly, the samples were saturated with distilled water
for 48 h. After weighting a sample, P-wave velocity measurement was carried out on the sample. The method was
repeated for each sample. Then, the samples were allowed
to dry in the atmosphere over a period of 32 h. During the
drying period, P-wave velocity measurements were performed for the 2nd, 4th, 8th, 16th and 32nd hours. After
that, the samples were oven dried at a temperature of
105 C for 24 h. Finally, weight and P-wave velocity measurements were carried out on the dry samples. In addition,

343

Sample 2

Sample 5

Sample 20
5
Sample 24
4

Sample 36

Sample 40

2
1
0

10

15

20

25

30

35

Time after saturation (hours)

Fig. 1. P-wave velocities of some samples initially saturated with water as
a function of time.

344

S. Kahraman / Ultrasonics 46 (2007) 341348

rocks and is small for high porosity rocks. In this study,

a correlation between DtP and porosity was found
(Fig. 4). DtP decreases with increasing porosity as stated
by Gregory [28].

8.5

P-wave velocity (km/s)

8.0
Sample 34

7.5

Sample 41

7.0

Sample 30

6.5

5. Evaluation of the test results using Gassmanns theory

Sample 17

6.0
5.5

Sample 10

5.0

Sample 4

Several petro-elastical models have been proposed by

the dierent researchers. The most obvious and simple
model is Gassmanns theory according to Carcione
[35,36]. Gassmann [37] wet-rock P-wave velocity is
s
K G 4=3lm
twP
1
q

4.5
4.0
0

20

40

60

80

100

Saturation degree (%)

Fig. 2. P-wave velocity as a function of saturation degree.

where
K G K m a2 M

Threshold saturation degree (%)

100

y = 278. 87e -0.896x

R 2 = 0.57

90
80
70

is the dry-rock bulk modulus,

60

50

lm qd tdS

40

is the dry-rock shear modulus,

30

Km
Ks
1
a/ /

M
Ks
Kf

a1

20
10
0
0

Fig. 3. The relation between threshold saturation degree and the velocity
dierence.

-0.104

y = 1.79 x
2
R = 0.46

2. 0

1. 5

1. 0

0. 5
0

10

12

5
6

14

16

q qd /qf
qd 1  /qs

7
8

where q is the bulk density, qd is the dry density, and qs and

qf are the densities of the mineral and uid, respectively.
One of the results of Gassmanns theory is that the wetand dry-rock shear moduli are the same, so the wet- and
dry-rock S-wave velocities are
r
lm
w
tS
9
q
r
lm
tdS
10
qd

3. 0

2. 5

where / is the porosity, Ks and Kf are the bulk modulus of

mineral and uid, and

Velocity difference (km/s)

Velocity difference (km/s)

is Gassmanns bulk modulus,



4 2
2
K m qd tdP  tdS
3

18

Porosity (%)
Fig. 4. The correlation between velocity dierence and porosity.

that the rocks tested in this study are dierent from the
rocks tested by Wyllie et al. [28] and Gregory [28]. Gregory
[28] stated that, in general, DtP is large for low porosity

Moreover, Gassmanns theory implies

r
twS
qd
<1

d
tS
q

11

Some properties of the tested rocks and Gassmann wetrock P-wave velocity are given in Table 3. The comparison
between measured and Gassmann wet-rock P-wave velocity is shown in Fig. 5. The error in the estimated value is
represented by the distance that each data point plots from
the 1:1 diagonal line. A point lying on the line indicates an
exact estimation. As shown in Fig. 5, Gassmanns theory

S. Kahraman / Ultrasonics 46 (2007) 341348

345

Table 3
Some properties of the tested rocks, Gassmann wet-rock P-wave velocity and S-wave velocity ratio
Sample
code

Bulk
density
(g/cm3)

Dry
density
(g/cm3)

Mineral
density
(g/cm3)

Mineral bulk modulus

(GPa)

Shear modulus
(GPa)

Gassmann wet-rock
P-wave velocity
(km/s)

Gassmann wet-rock S-wave

velocity/dry-rock S-wave
velocity

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41

2.16
2.46
2.32
2.20
2.69
2.68
2.34
2.66
1.98
2.47
2.68
2.69
1.83
2.43
2.50
2.72
2.56
2.70
2.73
2.70
2.68
2.58
2.71
2.59
2.76
2.70
2.68
2.79
2.69
2.71
2.64
2.69
2.55
2.60
2.59
2.58
2.42
2.66
2.63
2.57
2.67

2.07
2.39
2.30
2.07
2.69
2.67
2.20
2.63
1.82
2.46
2.66
2.69
1.82
2.42
2.48
2.72
2.56
2.70
2.73
2.70
2.67
2.58
2.71
2.58
2.75
2.70
2.68
2.78
2.68
2.71
2.64
2.68
2.55
2.60
2.57
2.52
2.39
2.66
2.62
2.54
2.66

2.29
2.55
2.36
2.38
2.70
2.68
2.55
2.70
2.15
2.50
2.70
2.70
1.84
2.45
2.52
2.72
2.57
2.71
2.74
2.71
2.68
2.59
2.72
2.59
2.77
2.71
2.69
2.81
2.71
2.72
2.65
2.70
2.56
2.61
2.63
2.66
2.47
2.67
2.64
2.63
2.69

24.9
33.8
43.7
30.1
56.1
32.6
26.1
40.8
28.9
38.3
34.5
47.6
34.2
30.8
37.6
31.5
57.6
14.5
34.7
39.6
22.3
40.6
30.1
16.2
52.5
32.6
29.0
19.6
17.5
49.3
58.8
33.6
35.5
28.3
34.4
34.8
24.7
34.9
18.2
24.5
34.3

9.91
8.68
10.34
6.85
21.95
32.76
16.06
27.24
11.25
9.73
26.45
24.23
11.99
16.59
15.70
27.09
23.50
13.06
24.77
13.20
12.42
12.46
19.50
10.34
23.03
29.39
10.65
14.32
10.41
23.72
17.82
20.34
19.96
16.16
11.39
24.06
12.11
19.56
15.84
15.49
19.21

4.14
4.26
4.95
4.13
5.63
5.34
4.44
5.38
4.60
4.54
5.10
5.44
5.22
4.65
4.83
4.99
5.89
3.44
4.98
4.60
3.81
4.70
4.54
3.40
5.49
5.15
4.01
3.72
3.41
5.46
5.58
4.75
4.93
4.37
4.36
5.07
4.09
4.78
3.86
4.17
4.73

0.977
0.987
0.994
0.970
0.999
0.999
0.971
0.995
0.960
0.996
0.997
1.000
0.997
0.997
0.996
1.000
1.000
0.999
1.000
1.000
0.999
0.999
0.999
1.000
0.999
0.999
0.999
0.998
0.998
1.000
0.999
0.999
0.999
0.999
0.996
0.990
0.993
0.999
0.998
0.993
0.998

does not t the data. The unconformity between the measured data and the estimated data from the theories is
due to the fact that Gassmann [37] and derived his equations for high-porosity unconsolidated sediments at low
frequencies. Gassmanns theory assumes that porous material is isotropic, elastic and homogeneous, fully saturated
with uid, and the pore spaces are well connected. The
rocks tested in this study do not match the material specied by Gassmanns theory.
Although Gassmanns theory does not t the data,
there is a good correlation between Gassmann wet-rock
P-wave velocity and measured wet-rock P-wave velocity
(Fig. 5). For this reason, using the two data a constant
(c) can be obtained. Measured wet-rock P-wave velocity
values were divided by Gassmann wet-rock P-wave velocity values. It was seen that division results dier for each

rock class. c constant values are 1.34 0.05, 1.49 0.11,

1.38 0.06 for sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous
rocks, respectively. Gassmanns equation (Eq. (1)) can be
modied including c constant as follows:
s
K G 4=3lm
twP c
12
q
It can be said that Eq. (12) is valid for the rocks except
high-porosity unconsolidated sediments.
As stated in Eq. (11), Gassmanns theory implies that
the ratio between wet- and dry-rock S-wave velocity is
lower than 1. As shown in Table 3, some of the ratios
between wet- and dry-rock S-wave velocity are equal to 1
and the other ratios can be accepted as 1. Therefore, Eq.
(11) does not completely t the data.

346

S. Kahraman / Ultrasonics 46 (2007) 341348

p-wave veloctiy caluculated from Wood's and

Gassmann's theory (km/s)

Gassmann wet-rock P-wave velocity (km/s)

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

0
0

10

Measured wet-rock P-wave velocity (km/s)

Fig. 5. The comparison between measured and Gassmann wet-rock
P-wave velocity.

P- wave velocity Vp measured in 16th hour during

drying period (km/s)

Fig. 7. The comparison between the measured P-wave velocity and the
P-wave velocity calculated using Woods and Gassmanns theory for the
16th hour during the drying period after saturation.

To model partial saturation Woods theory [38] was

used. Wood suggested following equations:
1
Sw 1  Sw

Kf Kw
Ka

13

where Kf is the uid bulk modulus, Sw is water saturation,

Kw and Ka are the bulk modulus of water and air.
q qd /S w qw 1  S w qa

14

P-wave velocity calculated from Wood's and

Gassmann's theory (km/s)

where q is the bulk density, qd is the dry density, / is the

porosity, qw and qa are the density of water and air,
respectively.
For the modeling of partial saturation, the data in the
2nd and the 16th hour during the drying period after saturation were used. Figs. 6 and 7 indicate the comparison
between the measured P-wave velocity and the P-wave
velocity calculated using Woods and Gassmanns theory.
As shown in Fig. 6, the data in the 2nd hour during the
drying period after saturation does not t the theories.

8
7
6
5
4
3
2

However, the most data in the 16th hour during the drying
period after saturation approach to the 1:1 diagonal line
(Fig. 7). Although Woods and Gassmanns theories do
not t the data, there is a good correlation between measured and estimated data (Figs. 6 and 7). Similarly above,
using the two data a constant (c) can be obtained for partial saturation. Measured data were divided by estimated
data and c constant values were obtained. For the 2nd
and the 16th hour during the drying period after saturation, c values are 1.34 0.06 and 1.09 0.04, respectively.
The average of the two c values is 1.22 0.01. This constant value can be used for the partial saturation.
6. Derivation of the estimation equations
Dry- and wet-rock P-wave velocity values were evaluated using the method of least squares regression. Linear,
logarithmic, exponential and power curve tting approximations were tried and the best approximation equation
with highest correlation coecient (R2) was determined
for each regression.
The correlation between the dry- and wet-rock P-wave
velocity values is indicated in Fig. 8. There is a strong correlation between the dry- and wet-rock P-wave velocities.
The relation follows a linear function. The equation of
the line is
twP 0:94tdP 2:10;

twP

0
0

P- wave velocity Vp measured in 2nd hour during the drying

period (km/s)

Fig. 6. The comparison between the measured P-wave velocity and the
P-wave velocity calculated using Woods and Gassmanns theory for the
2nd hour during the drying period after saturation.

R2 0:74

15

where
is the wet-rock P-wave velocity (km/s) and tdP is
the dry-rock P-wave velocity (km/s).
To see how the rocks classes aect the correlation,
regression analysis were performed for sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks, respectively (Fig. 9). The correlation coecients for the rock classes are higher than
Eq. (14). The equations of the lines are

S. Kahraman / Ultrasonics 46 (2007) 341348

9.0

Wet-rock P-wave velocity (km/s)

10

Wet-rock P-wave velocity (km/s)

347

9
8
7
6
5
y = 0.94x + 2.10
2
R = 0.74

y = 0.88x + 2.63
2
R = 0.80

8.5
8.0
7.5
7.0

Porosity > 1 %
6.5

Porosity < 1 %

6.0

y = 0.80x + 2.5
2
R = 0.78

5.5
5.0
4.5
4.0

3.0

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

3 .5

7.0

4.0

4 .5

5.0

5 .5

6.0

6 .5

Dry-rock P-wave velocity (km/s)

Dry-rock P-wave velocity (km/s)

Fig. 8. The relation between dry- and wet-rock P-wave velocity values.

Fig. 10. The correlations between dry- and wet-rock P-wave velocity for
the rocks having porosity value of lower and higher than 1%.

lower than 1%, whereas DtP is small for the rocks having a
porosity value of higher than 1% (Fig. 10).

9.0

Wet-rock P-wave velocity (km/s)

8.5

7. Conclusions

8.0
7.5
7.0

Sedimantary rocks

6.5

Metamorphic rocks

6.0

Igneous rocks

Dry- and wet-rock P-wave velocity and dry-rock S-wave

velocity measurements were carried out on 41 dierent
rock types. The results were evaluated and following conclusions were obtained:

5.5
5.0
4.5
4.0
3.0

3 .5

4.0

4 .5

5.0

5 .5

6.0

6.5

Dry-rock P-wave velocity (km/s)

Fig. 9. The relation between dry- and wet-rock P-wave velocity values for
sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks, respectively.

For sedimentary rocks:

twP 1:19tdP 0:67;

R2 0:83

16

For metamorphic rocks:

twP 1:02tdP 2:06;

R2 0:90

17

R2 0:87

18

For igneous rocks:

twP 0:94tdP 1:99;

As shown in Fig. 9, DtP is large for metamorphic rocks

and is small for sedimentary and igneous rocks. This is
because the water saturation eect on P-wave velocity is
much larger in low porosity rocks than in high porosity
rocks as stated above. Comparing to sedimentary and igneous rocks, metamorphic rocks have small porosity values
(generally less than 1%) and therefore has large DtP.
In addition, the correlations between dry- and wet-rock
P-wave velocity values were investigated for the rock
groups having a porosity value of lower and higher than
1%. It was found that, conforming to the above statements,
while DtP is large for the rocks having a porosity value of

The threshold saturation degree (SDt) after which

P-wave velocity values rapidly increases largely depends
on the velocity dierence (DtP). An exponential relation
between SDt and DtP was found.
A general correlation between DtP and porosity was
found.
The modeling of fully and partial saturation using Gassmanns and Woods theory showed that the theories did
not t the data. This is because Gassmann derived his
equations for high-porosity unconsolidated sediments
at low frequencies.
Gassmanns equation was modied for the rocks except
high-porosity unconsolidated sediments.
Regression analysis indicated that wet-rock P-wave
velocity values were strongly correlated with the dryrock P-wave velocity values. When the regression analyses were repeated for the rock classes respectively, it was
seen that correlation coecients were increased. The
derived equations can be used for the prediction of
wet-rock P-wave velocity from the dry-rock P-wave
velocity.

Acknowledgements
Author thanks to Professor J.M. Carcione for comments and suggestions. This study has been supported by
the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA), in the framework of the Young Scientist Award Program (EATUBA-GEBIP/2001-1-1).

348

S. Kahraman / Ultrasonics 46 (2007) 341348

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