Seismic properties of shales

Shales are abundant in most sedimentary basins, and they are important components of source rocks, overburden, and cap rocks, acting as seals for hydrocarbon and CO2 reservoirs. Shales are complex porous media composed of fluids and clay minerals of various types and sizes. They also include other minerals such as quartz, feldspar, and calcite.

Figure 1: Schematic illustration of sand and shale compaction. At temperatures of about 70ºC, sand and shale undergo a shift from predominantly mechanical compaction to predominantly chemical compaction (Avseth et al., 2008).
Photo: Avseth et al., 2008

Project description

This PhD project investigates how geological processes influence the elastic and seismic properties of shales. The main objective is to improve our understanding of how shale properties evolve during deposition, burial, compaction and later geological modifications, ultimately leading to a more accurate interpretation of seismic data. One key process is the transition from predominantly mechanical compaction to predominantly chemical compaction, which typically occurs at temperatures of about 70ºC. An illustration of this transition for sand and shale is shown in Figure 1. 

To investigate the objective of the research, rock physics and seismic modelling will be conducted with a focus on shale anisotropy as shales exhibit strong directional variations in their elastic properties. Developing robust rock physics models that reflect realistic geological scenarios and rock distributions can enable the computation of conditions outside areas with existing well-data.

Last updated: 02.07.2026