Suspension theory for the effect of silt particles on attenuation of compressional waves in marine mud sediments

Mud in marine sediments is a mixture of clay and silt particles. Paper follows a suggestion by Holland and Dosso (JASA, 2013) that the variability of the measured frequency-dependent compressional wave attenuation may be caused by the variability of the amounts of silt particles. The premise is that the silt particles are in suspension. They do not settle out to the bottom of the layer because the card-house fabric of the clay particles tends to hold them in place. This theory leads to a supposition where the clay configuration gives a negligible base-line attenuation, and the contribution from the individual silt particles is additive. The estimation of the latter is distinguished from the existing theories of attenuation of sound in sandy/silty sediments in that the particles are presumed not to touch each other. Particles are assumed to be spherical and there is no slip between particles and the surrounding water. Earlier formulations of attenuation in suspensions by Lamb (Hydrodynamics) and Urick (JAS...