Acoustic velocities and electrical properties of frozen sandstones and shales

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences
• Main Author: King, M. S.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1977
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Arctic; permafrost
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e77-092; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/e77-092

Ultrasonic velocities and electrical properties have been measured in the laboratory at permafrost temperatures on a number of samples of sandstones and a shale which had been recovered from boreholes in the arctic and stored in their natural frozen state. Compressional and shear-wave velocities, electrical resistivity, and phase-angle relationships in the frequency range 0.005–100 kHz have been measured on the permafrost samples, at temperatures in the range −18 °C–+4 °C.Results of the tests show that, at a particular temperature, there is a small decrease in the electrical resistivity measured on all samples tested as the frequency is increased. The phase-angle differences measured show no consistent relationship with either frequency or temperature, but they are all less than 12° in magnitude. The electrical resistivity at a particular frequency and the ultrasonic velocities are affected in a similar manner by changes in temperature. Whereas the sandstones show a sharp reduction in velocities and resistivity as the temperature is raised to 0 °C or above, the shale shows little dependence of these parameters on changes in temperature in the range tested. An increase in shale content of the sandstone results in behavior intermediate between that of a clean sandstone and that of a shale.