Book
Handbook of Seismic Properties of
Minerals, Rocks and Ores
by Shaocheng Ji, Qin Wang, Bin Xia
Polytechnic International Press, Montreal 2002, pp.
630, Hardcover, ISBN 2-553-01032-X, List Price: $110 US
Please contact with
Miss Qian Wang
Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering
Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal,
P.O. Box, 6079
Station Centre-Ville
E-mail : [log in to unmask]
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Book Review by Prof. H.
Kern (
The most
directly measurable parameters reflecting the nature of the Earth’s
interior are seismic wave velocities, and seismic velocity determinations are
necessary in providing a characterisation of the structure of the Earth crust
and upper mantle. They are, however, of limited use because inferences about
rock compositions drawn from wave velocities (at least P-wave velocities) are
not unique. The basic reason for this ambiguity lies in the fact that seismic
properties at depth are determined by numerous lithologic factors such as
mineralogical and chemical composition, rock fabric, and by physical factors such
as pressure and temperature that control the in-situ rock properties in a
complex manner.
Constraints on
the composition of the deep crust and upper mantle are best determined by
combining seismic velocities derived from geophysical measurements with those
of relevant crustal and mantle rocks determined in the laboratory at high
pressure and temperature conditions. In recent years, seismic anisotropy, which
is an important property of many rocks constituting the Earth crust and upper
mantle, has become increasingly important in Earth science investigations; due
to the marked improvement in methods of generation and detecting seismic shear
waves. Particularly, the determination of shear wave splitting in the
Earth’s crust and upper mantle has raised much interest. Seismic
azimuthal anisotropy, manifested by shear wave splitting (elastic
birefringence), can provide important geophysical evidence of deformation,
because the orientation and the magnitude of anisotropy is, in general,
strongly related to the internal, strain-induced rock fabric.
In the
Handbook of Seismic
Properties of Minerals, Rocks and Ores, Ji, Wang and Xia perform
an admirable job in compiling a large number of compressional (P) and shear
wave (S) data published over the last 4 decades, and by focusing, in
particular, on the directional dependence of wave propagation (anisotropy). The
book is divided into two parts. Each part is introduced by a brief chapter. The
first addresses particularly the different average approaches (Voigt, Reuss, Hill
and geometric averages) for the determination of the elastic moduli of
polymineralic rocks from the properties of rock-forming minerals. The second
relies on various techniques used for the determination of the reported P- and
S-wave velocities, the accuracy of the reported data, and the coefficient of
seismic anisotropy (A) on the basis of the velocities measured in the three
structural directions X,Y, Z, that are related to the foliation and lineation
of the rocks..
In Part I (94 references), the authors
address the single-crystal elasticity of 53 common rock-forming minerals by
presenting 3D velocity calculations for compressional (Vp) and shear wave
velocities (Vs1, Vs2) and shear wave splitting (δVs=Vs1-Vs2) along with
the bulk (K) and shear (G) moduli of monomineralic aggregates of 22 common
rock-forming minerals with the calculated Voigt (V), Reuss (R), Hill (H) and
geometric (G) averages.
Part II presents tabulated P- and S-wave
velocities and corresponding anisotropy and shear wave splitting data of
crustal and upper mantle rocks as functions of pressure and temperature,
together with their sample locality, lithology, density, porosity, humidity
(wet or dry) and the source literature (247 references). The rock types are
listed alphabetically, and the room temperature Vp and Vs data and
corresponding anisotropies are given for three different pressure ranges (to
200 MPa, 600 MPa and 1.0 GPa), according to the maximum pressures reached in
the experiments reported in the literature. The data describing the temperature
dependence of Vp and Vs and corresponding anisotropies are listed for two
temperature regimes (up to 600°C and 1000°C (900°C)) with pressures mostly up
to 600 MPa (1000 MPa). Averages of P- and S-wave velocities at room temperature
and pressures up to 3 GPa are compiled separately, and a great number of
samples for which the seismic velocities and anisotropies have been measured
are characterized by their chemical and mineral modal compositions. Finally,
the tabulated data are complemented by figures representing the relationship
between intrinsic (600 MPa) seismic velocities (Vp and Vs) and density, as well
as the frequency distributions of intrinsic Vp and Vs anisotropy, the variation
of mean Poisson´s ratios of 23 main lithologic categories and the effect of the
alpha-beta quartz transition on P- and S-wave velocities in quartzite.
The handbook
is a concise and thorough reference book of seismic properties of rocks ready
to apply to the interpretations of seismic reflection and refraction data. In
particular, by focussing on the directional dependence of wave propagation in
crustal and mantle rocks, the book fills an important niche. The coverage of
the literature is exhaustive and the references, along with a glossary of
symbols and abbreviations, enable the interested reader to further pursue any
particular subject in greater depth. Unfortunately, there are some regrettable
omissions. I miss a link between calculated 3D velocity surfaces of single
crystals (Part I) to polycrystals by presenting 3D velocity surfaces in Part II
for at least a number of relevant crustal and mantle rocks, together with their
relation to inherent structural elements (foliation XY, lineation X). Furthermore,
as was done for the Figures, a grouping of the tabulated velocity data into
magmatic rocks, metamorphic rocks, sedimentary rocks and ores, in addition to
alphabetically ordering, would make an access to the data of interest easier.
Nevertheless, this handbook, with its wealth of data, is a welcome addition to
the literature in Petrophysics. The layout of the book is exceptionally clean.
At about US 110 it is reasonably priced, although it is undoubtedly beyond the
budget of most students. It is a must-have for all seismologists, along with
others interested in quantitative petrophysical data, and it should be carried
by academic libraries to serve students with an interest in seismic studies as
a permanent reference.
Hartmut Kern
Shaocheng
Ji, Ph.D.
Full Professor
Department
of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering (CGM)
Ecole
Polytechnique de Montreal P.O. Box 6079 Station "Centre-Ville"
Tel: 1
(514) 340-4711 Ext. 5134
Fax: 1
(514) 340-3970
Web site:
http://geo.polymtl.ca/‾sji/
Database:
http://texture.civil.polymtl.ca:8080/seismic-properties/index.jsp