Wave propagation in heterogeneous media.: Part 2:: attenuation of seismic waves due to scattering

We present a scattering attenuation model based on the statistical wave propagation theory in random media. It is suitable for the weak wavefield fluctuation regime and has practically no restriction in the frequency domain. The presented formulas allow to quantify scattering attenuation in complex geological regions using simple statistical estimates from well-log data. This knowledge is important for further petrophysical interpretations of reservoir rocks. To test our theory we perform numerical simulations of seismic wave propagation in 3-D elastic random media using a finite-difference solution of the elastodynamic wave equation. From the synthetic seismograms we determine the scattering attenuation (Q(-1)) with help of spectral decay methods. We find good agreement of the frequency-dependent Q values and the theoretical predictions.