Novel Approach to Modelling Elastic Wavefields in Fractured Media

The problem of numerical modelling elastic wavefields in fractured media plays an important role in interpretation of seismic data. The classical approach is based on the use of the averaged models with elastic parameters depending on the internal structure of the medium. Unfortunately, this approach is limited to the predefined types of periodical structures and it cannot describe the crack-crack interactions. Recently, a new approach based on the direct solution of acoustic equations inside the crack was proposed. However, the main drawback of this method is the enormous computational required even with the use of the modern HPC systems. In this paper, we present a novel approach based on numerical solution of the elastic equations with physically correct conditions on the boundaries of the cracks. This approach allows us to describe randomly oriented thin cracks without a drastic increase of computational time. We have demonstrated that Krauklis waves can be achieved by this approach as well. The results of accurate direct simulation of seismic wavefields in heterogeneous fractured media can be used for improved analysis of the seismic data.