Bulk-density ( ρ) of soil is an important indicator of soil compaction and type. A knowledge of the spatial variability of in situ soil density is important in geotechnical engineering, hydrology and agriculture. Surface geophysical methods have so far shown limited success in providing an accurate and high-resolution image of 3-D soil-density distribution. In this pursuit, 3-D seismic full-waveform inversion (FWI) is promising, provided the robustness and accuracy of density inversion via this approach can be established in the near-surface scale. Ho wever , simultaneous reconstruction of ρand seismic wave velocities through multiparameter FWI remains a challenging task. Near-surface seismic data are commonly dominated by dispersive surface waves whose velocities are controlled by the value and distribution of shear-wave velocity ( V S ). One major difficulty in estimating reliab ly ρfrom near -surface seismic data is due to the relati vel y low sensiti vity of the seismic w av efield to ρcompared to seismic v elocities. Additionally, the accuracy of the estimated ρdecreases due to error in V S -an issue known as parameter coupling. Parameter coupling makes it difficult to estimate accurately ρwithin the framework of conventional gradient-based FWI. More sophisticated optimization approaches (e.g. truncated Newton) can reduce the effect of parameter coupling, but these approaches are commonl y not af fordab le in near -surface applications due to heavy computational burden. In this research, w e ha v e inv estigated how choosing correctly the force direction of the seismic source can contribute to a higher accuracy of ρestimates through 3-D FWI. Using scattered wavefields, the Hessian, and inversion tests, an in-depth and systematic investigation of data sets corresponding to different force directions has been carried out. A comparison of the scattered wavefields due to a point-localized ρperturbation for different force directions shows the robustness of the horizontal-force data set to noise compared to the vertical-force data set. Fur ther more, for a point-scatterer model, an analysis of the gradients of the misfit function using the Hessian shows that utilizing a horizontal-force source enables one to reconstruct the high-resolution gradient with relati vel y small parameter coupling. Finally, inversion tests for two different subsoil models demonstrate that 3-D FWI on a horizontal-force-source seismic data set is capable of providing a more accurate 3-D ρdistribution in soil compared to a vertical-force-source data set. Our results show that the use of a horizontal-force source might allow avoiding computationally demanding, costly optimization approaches in 3-D FWI.@en

Though well known for layer boundaries, the use of amplitude-versus-offset (AVO) variations for non-welded boundaries like fractures is not yet investigated. Depending on the seismic wavelength used, fractures can be regarded as thin, compliant zones in rocks, in different scales. We explore the potential of multiangle AVO inversion of P-P and P-S reflections from a fracture to estimate fracture properties.We conduct laboratory experiments to measure reflection responses of dry and wet fractures. The observed P-P reflections of the wet fracture and the fracture aperture are very well predicted by the non-welded interface model.We invert the angle-dependent P-P reflectivity of the fracture to estimate both normal and tangential fracture compliances. The estimated value of the normal compliance is accurate, and it is also possible to obtain the value of the non-zero tangential compliance.We find that supplementing the information of converted P-S reflections in theAVOinversion greatly improves the estimate of the tangential compliance. The calculated compliance ratio clearly shows the existence of fluid in the fracture. This finding can be crucial for new applications in a wide range of scale—from earthquake seismology, deep and shallow seismic exploration, to non-destructive material testing. @en

The Cocoa Grove Group is planning a housing development on approximately 5.5 acres in the area of Saphire, Diamond, St Lucia. Directly downhill of the property is a WASCO (Water and Sewage Company) Spring that has supplied drinking water to the town of Soufriere, going back to historic times. This potable water is of high purity. Concern was therefore expressed by WASCO as to the advisability of implementing any development directly above the emanation of the spring. The obvious concerns are the possible change in flow volumes and chemical and biological contamination if a housing development was completed. F.D. Morgan and the St Lucia Water Resources and personnel representing the Cocoa Grove Group discussed whether or not geophysical methods could be used to map the direction of groundwater flow into the spring. The group agreed that geophysical methods could be used in an attempt to delineate the underground flow paths into the spring. But it was made clear that the investigations could produce results that could be either favorable or unfavorable to the proposed development. Consequently, geophysical surveys were planned and executed in the area of concern, to measure resistivity and self potentials (SP). The geophysics did not indicate evidence, as expected, of substantial fluid flow into the spring. However, we were able to locate the main water supply from the top of Terre Blanche down towards the spring. The flow comes downhill via a significant geological fracture that is hidden from sight in the dense tree cover. Recommendations were made that it was relatively safe to develop the site as intended, with respect to possible water contamination. In conclusion, we also recommend that WASCO could take water from another point of a topographic step on Terre Blanche. Doing so, would reduce the contamination risk essentially to zero from the planned housing development area.@en

Low-frequency, axially-symmetric guided waves which propagate along a fluid-filled borehole (tube waves) are studied in order to characterize the hydraulic fractures intersecting the borehole. We formulate a new equation for the total tube wavefield, which includes simultaneous effects of (1) tube-wave scattering (reflection and transmission) due to wave propagation across hydraulic fractures, and (2) tube-wave generation due to incident plane P waves. The fracture is represented by the nonwelded interface boundary conditions. We use an appropriate form of the representation theorem in order to correctly handle the multiple scattering due to nonwelded interfaces. Our approach can implement any model that has so far been developed. We consider a recent model which includes simultaneous effects of fluid viscosity, dynamic fluid flow, and fracture compliance. The derived equation offers a number of important insights. We recognize that the effective generation amplitude contains the simultaneous effect of both tube-wave generation and scattering. This leads to a new physical understanding indicating that the tube waves are scattered immediately after generation. We show that this scattering is nonlinear with respect to interface compliance. This physical mechanism can be implicitly accounted for by considering more realistic boundary conditions. We also illustrate the application of the new equation in order to predict the complex signature of the total tube wavefield, including generation and scattering at multiple hydraulic fractures. A new formulation for focusing analyses is also derived in order to image and characterize the hydraulic fractures. The obtained results and discussions are important for interpretation, modeling, and imaging using low-frequency guided waves, in the presence of multiple fractures along a cylindrical inclusion.@en

The hydraulic properties of subsurface fractures are critically important in the exploration of geothermal and hydrocarbon reservoirs. The analysis of tube waves (low-frequency Stoneley waves propagating along a fluidfilled borehole) is a promising approach to estimate the hydraulic properties of fractures intersecting a borehole. We present a new model for tube-wave generation in a borehole (VSP) by a permeable structure characterized by certain values of porosity and permeability. Contrary to the conventional theory, the new model accounts for the layer stiffness in the deformation process and it is valid for the large tube-wave amplitude. For the first time, it was possible to show a clear connection between the permeable-layer model and the parallel-wall open fracture model developed earlier. The generated tube-wave amplitudes well correspond to those of the multiple open fractures. Furthermore, the effect of large dip angles is extensively discussed. The approximate solution (the Mathieu functions) and the numerical modeling results (FEM) reveal that the effect of the dip angle is significant for a thick structure and large dip angles. The developed theory is important to evaluate field data which contain the effects of tube waves due to dipping permeable layers, e.g., cataclasite layers and fault gouges. @en

Characterizing subsurface fractures is a key to developing hydrocarbon and geothermal fields, as well as providing fundamental information on fracture system relevant to regional seismotectonics. Seismic characterization of fractures has generally been based on the effective medium theory, which considers seismically invisible small fractures. Therefore, there is a considerable scale gap between the fracture properties obtained by seismic methods and those from borehole logging. Recent studies of single-well reflection imaging using acoustic borehole logging data show the potential of filling the scale gap by providing fracture properties around the borehole up to a few tens of meter away from the borehole location. In the context of reflection imaging of individual fractures, in this study, we develop least-squares migration (LSM) coupled with linear-slip model. LSM solves the linearized waveform inversion to provide high-resolution quantitative images. Linear-slip model can describe wave reflection at a fracture accurately. We show numerical modelling examples of the proposed approach considering a vertical fracture with coupling compliances, and acoustic dipole measurements of a dipping fracture embedded in a background random velocity distribution. The results show that the proposed LSM provides higher resolution images than reverse-time migration, and more accurate images than the conventional LSM without linear-slip model.@en

Characterizing the mechanical and hydraulic properties of fractures is crucial in hydrocarbon and geothermal field development. Contrary to passive microseismic measurements, active seismic measurements using a borehole, e.g., VSP or sonic logging, have a potential to address aseismic fractures. However, there is a considerable scale gap between the characteristic wavelength in VSP and in sonic logging, which hinders consistent interpretations of active and passive measurements. Recent developments of reflection imaging using microearthquakes and dipole acoustic data successfully image individual fractures or clusters of them around a borehole, which indicates the potential to fill the gap by addressing quantitative fracture properties around a borehole up to a few tens of meters away from the borehole. In this study, we couple the least-squares migration with the linear-slip theory in order to achieve high-resolution reflection imaging of fracture compliances around a borehole, which are then useful to characterize microscale structures at the fracture. Tests in the laboratory successfully characterize the spatially varying fracture compliance due to the partial inclusion of water in the fracture. Numerical modelling tests of the source-receiver configuration of acoustic dipole measurements and random background media shows the potential of the proposed approach for quantitatively imaging fractures around a borehole.@en

We investigate the applicability of passive seismic interferometry using P-wave coda from local earthquakes for the purpose of retrieving reflections for imaging enhanced geothermal systems. For this, we use ambient-noise data recorded in the Neuquén basin, Argentina, where the Peteroa and Los Molles geothermal fields are present nearby. After retrieving reflections, we proceed to process them following a standard processing sequence to obtain images of the crustal structures. Examining crosscorrelation, crosscoherence, and multidimensional deconvolution approaches, we find that multidimensional deconvolution, based on the truncated singular-value decomposition scheme, gives us slightly better structural imaging than the other two approaches. Our results provide higher-resolution imaging of the crustal structures down to the lower boundary of the Moho in comparison with previous passive seismic imaging by receiver function and global-phase seismic interferometry in this region. We also interpret the deep basement thrust fault that has been indicated by active-seismic reflection profile and nearby exploration well. The method we propose could be used as a low-cost alternative to active-source acquisition for imaging and monitoring purposes of deeper geothermal reservoirs, e.g., in enhanced geothermal systems, where the target structures are down to 10 km depth. @en

We investigate the applicability of passive seismic interferometry using P-wave coda from local earthquakes for the purpose of retrieving reflections for imaging enhanced geothermal systems. For this, we use ambient-noise data recorded in the Neuquén basin, Argentina, where the Peteroa and Los Molles geothermal fields are present nearby. After retrieving reflections, we proceed to process them following a standard processing sequence to obtain images of the crustal structures. Examining crosscorrelation, crosscoherence, and multidimensional deconvolution approaches, we find that multidimensional deconvolution, based on the truncated singular-value decomposition scheme, gives us slightly better structural imaging than the other two approaches. Our results provide higher-resolution imaging of the crustal structures down to the lower boundary of the Moho in comparison with previous passive seismic imaging by receiver function and global-phase seismic interferometry in this region. We also interpret the deep basement thrust fault that has been indicated by active-seismic reflection profile and nearby exploration well. The method we propose could be used as a low-cost alternative to active-source acquisition for imaging and monitoring purposes of deeper geothermal reservoirs, e.g., in enhanced geothermal systems, where the target structures are down to 10 km depth. @en

The reflection seismic method is the most frequently used exploration method for imaging and monitoring subsurface structures with high resolution. It has proven its qualities from the scale of regional seismology to the scale of near-surface applications that look just a few meters below the surface. The reflection method uses controlled active sources at known positions to give rise to reflections recorded at known receiver positions. The reflections’ two-wave travel time is used to extract desired information about and image the subsurface structures. When active sources are unavailable or undesired, one can retrieve body-wave reflections from application of seismic interferometry (SI) to sources of opportunity—quakes, tremors, ambient noise, or even man-made sources not connected to the exploration campaign. We show examples of imaging of subsurface structures using reflections retrieved from quakes and ambient noise. We apply SI by autocorrelation to global earthquake to image seismic and aseismic parts of the Nazca plate and the Moho at these places, SI by multidimensional deconvolution to P-wave coda from local earthquakes to image the Moho and the crust at the same places, and SI by autocorrelation to deep moonquakes to image the lunar Moho and to ambient noise to monitor CO2 sequestration. @en

The reflection seismic method is the most frequently used exploration method for imaging and monitoring subsurface structures with high resolution. It has proven its qualities from the scale of regional seismology to the scale of near-surface applications that look just a few meters below the surface. The reflection method uses controlled active sources at known positions to give rise to reflections recorded at known receiver positions. The reflections’ two-wave travel time is used to extract desired information about and image the subsurface structures. When active sources are unavailable or undesired, one can retrieve body-wave reflections from application of seismic interferometry (SI) to sources of opportunity—quakes, tremors, ambient noise, or even man-made sources not connected to the exploration campaign. We show examples of imaging of subsurface structures using reflections retrieved from quakes and ambient noise. We apply SI by autocorrelation to global earthquake to image seismic and aseismic parts of the Nazca plate and the Moho at these places, SI by multidimensional deconvolution to P-wave coda from local earthquakes to image the Moho and the crust at the same places, and SI by autocorrelation to deep moonquakes to image the lunar Moho and to ambient noise to monitor CO2 sequestration. @en

The reflection seismic method is the most frequently used exploration method for imaging and monitoring subsurface structures with high resolution. It has proven its qualities from the scale of regional seismology to the scale of near-surface applications that look just a few meters below the surface. The reflection method uses controlled active sources at known positions to give rise to reflections recorded at known receiver positions. The reflections’ two-wave travel time is used to extract desired information about and image the subsurface structures. When active sources are unavailable or undesired, one can retrieve body-wave reflections from application of seismic interferometry (SI) to sources of opportunity—quakes, tremors, ambient noise, or even man-made sources not connected to the exploration campaign. We show examples of imaging of subsurface structures using reflections retrieved from quakes and ambient noise. We apply SI by autocorrelation to global earthquake to image seismic and aseismic parts of the Nazca plate and the Moho at these places, SI by multidimensional deconvolution to P-wave coda from local earthquakes to image the Moho and the crust at the same places, and SI by autocorrelation to deep moonquakes to image the lunar Moho and to ambient noise to monitor CO2 sequestration. @en

The reflection seismic method is the most frequently used exploration method for imaging and monitoring subsurface structures with high resolution. It has proven its qualities from the scale of regional seismology to the scale of near-surface applications that look just a few meters below the surface. The reflection method uses controlled active sources at known positions to give rise to reflections recorded at known receiver positions. The reflections’ two-wave travel time is used to extract desired information about and image the subsurface structures. When active sources are unavailable or undesired, one can retrieve body-wave reflections from application of seismic interferometry (SI) to sources of opportunity—quakes, tremors, ambient noise, or even man-made sources not connected to the exploration campaign. We show examples of imaging of subsurface structures using reflections retrieved from quakes and ambient noise. We apply SI by autocorrelation to global earthquake to image seismic and aseismic parts of the Nazca plate and the Moho at these places, SI by multidimensional deconvolution to P-wave coda from local earthquakes to image the Moho and the crust at the same places, and SI by autocorrelation to deep moonquakes to image the lunar Moho and to ambient noise to monitor CO2 sequestration. @en

The reflection seismic method is the most frequently used exploration method for imaging and monitoring subsurface structures with high resolution. It has proven its qualities from the scale of regional seismology to the scale of near-surface applications that look just a few meters below the surface. The reflection method uses controlled active sources at known positions to give rise to reflections recorded at known receiver positions. The reflections’ two-wave travel time is used to extract desired information about and image the subsurface structures. When active sources are unavailable or undesired, one can retrieve body-wave reflections from application of seismic interferometry (SI) to sources of opportunity—quakes, tremors, ambient noise, or even man-made sources not connected to the exploration campaign. We show examples of imaging of subsurface structures using reflections retrieved from quakes and ambient noise. We apply SI by autocorrelation to global earthquake to image seismic and aseismic parts of the Nazca plate and the Moho at these places, SI by multidimensional deconvolution to P-wave coda from local earthquakes to image the Moho and the crust at the same places, and SI by autocorrelation to deep moonquakes to image the lunar Moho and to ambient noise to monitor CO2 sequestration. @en

Tube waves are low frequency guided waves that propagate along a fluid-filled borehole. The analysis of tube waves is a promising approach to image and characterize hydraulic fractures intersecting a borehole. It exploits tube waves generated by an external seismic wavefield which compresses fractures and injects fluid into the borehole. It also utilizes the attenuation of tube waves due to fluid exchange between the fracture and the borehole, which creates scattered waves (reflection and transmission). Conventional approaches consider tube waves due to a single fracture. However, when the spacing between multiple fractures is short relative to the wavelength of the tube waves, the generated and scattered tube waves interfere with each other, making it difficult to isolate the effect of a single fracture. The analysis of closely spaced fractures is important in highly fractured areas, such as a fault zone. In this study, we explore the possibility of prediction and utilization of generated and scattered tube waves due to multiple fractures. We derive a new integral equation of the full tube wavefield using 1D wavefield representation theory incorporating nonwelded interfaces. We adapt the recent developments in modeling tube wave generation/scattering at a fracture. In these models, a fracture is represented as a parallel wall or a thin poloelastic layer. This allowed us to consider the effects of a dynamic fracture aperture with fracture compliances and the permeability. The representation also leads to a new imaging method for the hydraulic fractures, using multiply-generated and scattered tube waves. This is achieved by applying an inverse operator to the observed tube waves, which focuses the tube waves to the depth where they are generated and/or scattered. The inverse operator is constructed by a tube wave Green’s function with a known propagation velocity. The Median Tectonic Line (MTL) is the most significant fault in Japan, extending NE-SW for over 1000 km across the Japanese Islands. We observed multiple tube waves in a P-wave VSP experiment in a 250 m deep, vertical borehole located on the MTL at Shikoku, Japan. The borehole televiewer and the core studies show that below 40 m depth, the Sambagawa metamorphic rocks contain highly fractured zones which consist of more than 100 open fractures and more than 30 cataclasites. We predict the full tube wavefield using the values of fracture depth and thickness known from the borehole televiewer. We model the open fractures as parallel-wall fractures and the cataclasites as thin poroelastic layers. Furthermore, we estimate the depth of the hydraulic fractures by applying the inverse operator. The results show that the tube waves could be generated and scattered at these permeable structures. Our preliminary results also indicate the possibility that the effect of the open fractures is more dominant in the generation and scattering of tube waves than that of the cataclasites in this field. The formulation and the results presented in this study and the following discussion will be useful in analysis of tube waves in highly fractured zones, in order to localize and characterize hydraulic fractures. @en

Tube waves are low frequency guided waves that propagate along a fluid-filled borehole. The analysis of tube waves is a promising approach to image and characterize hydraulic fractures intersecting a borehole. It exploits tube waves generated by an external seismic wavefield which compresses fractures and injects fluid into the borehole. It also utilizes the attenuation of tube waves due to fluid exchange between the fracture and the borehole, which creates scattered waves (reflection and transmission). Conventional approaches consider tube waves due to a single fracture. However, when the spacing between multiple fractures is short relative to the wavelength of the tube waves, the generated and scattered tube waves interfere with each other, making it difficult to isolate the effect of a single fracture. The analysis of closely spaced fractures is important in highly fractured areas, such as a fault zone. In this study, we explore the possibility of prediction and utilization of generated and scattered tube waves due to multiple fractures. We derive a new integral equation of the full tube wavefield using 1D wavefield representation theory incorporating nonwelded interfaces. We adapt the recent developments in modeling tube wave generation/scattering at a fracture. In these models, a fracture is represented as a parallel wall or a thin poloelastic layer. This allowed us to consider the effects of a dynamic fracture aperture with fracture compliances and the permeability. The representation also leads to a new imaging method for the hydraulic fractures, using multiply-generated and scattered tube waves. This is achieved by applying an inverse operator to the observed tube waves, which focuses the tube waves to the depth where they are generated and/or scattered. The inverse operator is constructed by a tube wave Green’s function with a known propagation velocity. The Median Tectonic Line (MTL) is the most significant fault in Japan, extending NE-SW for over 1000 km across the Japanese Islands. We observed multiple tube waves in a P-wave VSP experiment in a 250 m deep, vertical borehole located on the MTL at Shikoku, Japan. The borehole televiewer and the core studies show that below 40 m depth, the Sambagawa metamorphic rocks contain highly fractured zones which consist of more than 100 open fractures and more than 30 cataclasites. We predict the full tube wavefield using the values of fracture depth and thickness known from the borehole televiewer. We model the open fractures as parallel-wall fractures and the cataclasites as thin poroelastic layers. Furthermore, we estimate the depth of the hydraulic fractures by applying the inverse operator. The results show that the tube waves could be generated and scattered at these permeable structures. Our preliminary results also indicate the possibility that the effect of the open fractures is more dominant in the generation and scattering of tube waves than that of the cataclasites in this field. The formulation and the results presented in this study and the following discussion will be useful in analysis of tube waves in highly fractured zones, in order to localize and characterize hydraulic fractures. @en

To quantitatively image fractures with high resolution, we have developed an elastic least-squares migration (LSM) algorithm coupled with linear-slip theory, which accurately addresses seismic wave interaction with thin structures. We derive a linearized waveform inversion using the Born approximation to the boundary integral equation for scattered waves, including linear-slip interfaces for P-SV and SH wavefields. Numerical modeling tests assuming a laboratory-scale fracture where a 20 cm long fracture is illuminated by waves with a 50 kHz center frequency show that our LSM successfully estimates fracture compliances. Furthermore, due to the presence of coupling compliances at the fracture, the results using our LSM show better images than those using the conventional LSM estimating the Lamé constants. We also numerically illustrate that our LSM can be successfully applied to dipole acoustic borehole logging data with 3 kHz center frequency for single-well reflection imaging of a 10 m long, dipping fracture embedded in a random background. Finally, we apply LSM to laboratory experimental data, measuring PP reflections from a fluid-filled fracture. We confirm that the estimated fracture compliances correspond well to those estimated by earlier amplitude variation with offset inversion. Furthermore, the LSM resolves the spatially varying fracture compliances due to local filling of water in the fracture. Because the linear-slip theory can be applied to thin structures in a wide range of scales, high-resolution imaging results and estimated fracture compliance distributions will be crucial to further address small-scale properties at fractures, joints, and geologic faults.@en

We have developed an application of passive seismic interferometry (SI) using P-wave coda of local earthquakes for the purpose of crustal-scale reflection imaging. We processed the reflection gathers retrieved from SI following a standard seismic processing in exploration seismology. We applied SI to the P-wave coda using crosscorrelation, crosscoherence, and multidimensional deconvolution (MDD) approaches for data recorded in the Malargüe region, Argentina. Comparing the results from the three approaches, we found that MDD based on the truncated singular-value decomposition scheme gave us substantially better structural imaging. Although our results provided higher resolution images of the subsurface, they showed less clear images for the Moho in comparison with previous seismic images in the region obtained by the receiver function and global-phase SI. Above the Moho, we interpreted a deep thrust fault and the possible melting zones, which were previously indicated by active-seismic and magnetotelluric methods in this region, respectively. The method we developed could be an alternative option not only for crustal-scale imaging, e.g., in enhanced geothermal systems, but also for lithospheric-scale as well as basin-scale imaging, depending on the availability of local earthquakes and the frequency bandwidth of their P-wave coda.@en

The spatial heterogeneity along a fracture is a key determinant for fracture-associated mechanical and hydraulic properties of the subsurface. Laboratory experiments have been performed to test the applicability of the nonwelded interface representation to predict the frequency- and angle-dependent elastic response of a single fracture. The observation that nonwelded interface model can represent quite well the frequency- and angle-dependent reflection response of a fracture has led us to develop a new methodology for estimating the spatially heterogeneous fracture compliance from the reflection response along a fracture surface. A data-driven approach based on Marchenko equation coupled with inverse scattering to solve the nonwelded interface boundary condition has been formulated. The approach estimates the elastic wavefield along a fracture accurately, including the multiple reflections. As an extension, it offers the possibility to estimate fracture compliance using the multiple reflections. We illustrate the concept by numerically modeling 2-D SH waves sensing the heterogeneous tangential compliance of a fracture. The stationary phase method is applied to single and double spatial integrals to analyze the effect of source and receiver aperture on the Green's function retrieval. Our results show that the use of multiple reflections allows a better estimation of the heterogeneous fracture compliance than using primary reflections alone, especially for the far offsets on the fracture plane.@en

We explore the potential of multi-angle AVO inversion of P-P and P-S reflections from a fracture to estimate fracture proper- ties. Although AVO analysis of welded interface like geologi- cal layer boundaries is common, the use of AVO variations for nonwelded boundaries like fractures is yet to be investigated. We conduct laboratory experiments to measure reflection re- sponses of dry and wet fractures. The observed P-P reflec- tions of the fracture and the fracture aperture are very well pre- dicted by the nonwelded interface model. We invert the angle- dependent P-P reflectivity of the fracture to estimate both nor- mal and tangential fracture compliances. The estimated value of the normal compliance is accurate, and it is also possible to obtain the value of the non-zero tangential compliance. We find that supplementing the information of converted P-S re- flections in the AVO inversion greatly improves the estimate of the tangential compliance. The calculated compliance ra- tio clearly shows the existence of fluid in the fracture. This finding can be crucial for new applications in a wide range of scale - from earthquake seismology, deep and shallow seismic exploration, to nondestructive material testing. @en