Laboratory measurements of low- and high-frequency elastic moduli in Fontainebleau sandstone

The presence of pores and cracks in rocks causes the fluid-saturated wave velocities in rocks to be dependent on frequency. New measurements of the bulk modulus at low frequencies (0.02-0.1 Hz) were obtained in the laboratory using oscillation tests carried out on two hydrostatically stressed Fontainebleau sandstone samples, in conjunction with ultrasonic velocities and static measurements, under a range of differential pressures (10-95 MPa), and with three different pore fluids (argon, glycerin, and water). For the 13% and 4% porosity samples, under glycerin-and water-saturated conditions, the low-frequency bulk modulus at 0.02 Hz matched well the low-frequency and ultrasonic dry bulk modulus. The glycerin-and water-saturated samples were much more compliant at low frequencies than at high frequencies. The measured bulk moduli of the tested rocks at low frequencies (0.02-0.1 Hz) were much lower than the values predicted by the Gassmann equation. The frequency dispersion of the P and S velocities was much higher at low differential pressures than at high pressures, due to the presence of open cracks at low differential pressures.