The Influence of Biot’s Coefficient on the Estimation of Effective Stress on Deep Sea Sediments

In this paper we addresse the changes in physical properties of the Eocene and Paleocene shale from the Atlantic Basin, as a function of burial diagenesis. We also showed the influence of using correct Biot’s coefficient (β) on the estimation of vertical effective stress. We correlated our porosity and P-wave velocity data with the calculated effective stresses to show how different calculated vertical effective stress influences shale compaction trends. This may provide a basis to understand how physical properties vary with effective stress and shale mineralogy. Our results may be relevant for drilling, basin analysis modeling, seismic interpretation and hydrocarbon exploration.