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Fracture distribution and basement structure from measurements of electrical resistivity in the basement of the Cajon Pass Scientific Drillhole, California
Author(s) -
Pezard Philippe A.,
Anderson Roger N.,
Howard James J.,
Luthi Stefan M.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/gl015i009p01021
Subject(s) - geology , borehole , electrical resistivity and conductivity , fracture (geology) , porosity , basement , mineralogy , geotechnical engineering , electrical engineering , engineering , civil engineering
In‐situ deep and shallow measurements of electrical resistivity recorded with the Dual Laterolog in the basement of the Cajon Pass scientific drillhole are compared with laboratory measurements of resistivity and porosity on fracture‐free core samples. This comparison is the basis of a simple electrical model of the pore space of the rock from which both matrix and fracture porosity are derived. In parallel, the analysis of borehole electrical images obtained with the Formation Microscanner provides a means to identify the fractures that intersect the borehole wall, to evaluate their frequency, and to determine their orientation. Further processing of these images enables us to distinguish mineralized from fluid‐filled fractures. The comparison of laterolog‐derived fracture porosity, computed over a large volume of rock, with a pair of fracture intensity profiles obtained from the analysis of the two images of the borehole wall is the key of a new technique by which drillhole‐related fractures (either due to hydraulic fracturing or to stress‐induced borehole breakouts) and natural fractures (either open or mineralized) are discriminated. The fractures in the upper part of Cajon Pass basement are inferred from the analysis of in‐situ resistivity measurements as mostly steep and mineralized.