Multiple-Component Crystal Fabric Measurements from Acoustically-Generated Normal Modes in Borehole

Abstract:

Sound wave velocities in ice are a proxy of crystal orientation fabric. Because p- and s-waves respectively travel faster and slower in the direction of an ice crystal c-axis, the velocities of these waves in a fabric are related to the clustering of ice crystal c-axes in the direction of wave propagation. Previous sonic logs at Dome C, NGRIP, WAIS, and NEEM have inferred a single component fabric description from the velocities of vertically-propagating p-waves around each ice core borehole. These records supplement thin-section measurements of crystal fabric by sampling larger numbers of crystals in a depth-continuous log.

Observations of azimuthally anisotropic vertical-girdle fabrics at ice-core sites such as WAIS, NGRIP, and EDML underly a benefit for logging methods that are sensitive to such fabrics. We present a theoretical framework for using borehole flexural modes to measure azimuthal crystal-fabric anisotropy, and describe ongoing efforts to develop a sonic logging tool for this purpose. We also present data from p-wave logs and thin section measurements at the WAIS Divide, and describe how a flexural wave log could supplement the existing measurements.