Advances in Earth Science

   

Petrophysical Modeling and Numerical Simulation of Seismic Wave Propagation in Superhot Rock: A Review

Li Yuanxie, Zeng Zhaofa*, Liu Cai   

  1. (College of Geo-Exploration Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun 130026, China)
  • About author:Li Yuanxie, research areas include seismic wave forward modeling in supercritical geothermal reservoirs. E-mail: liyuanxie@jlu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 42074119).

Li Yuanxie, Zeng Zhaofa, Liu Cai. Petrophysical Modeling and Numerical Simulation of Seismic Wave Propagation in Superhot Rock: A Review[J]. Advances in Earth Science, DOI: 10.11867/j.issn.1001-8166.2026.022.

Abstract:Superhot rocks and related geothermal systems have attracted increasing attention as promising targets for next-generation high-enthalpy geothermal energy development. Their extremely high temperatures, strong water-rock interactions, pressure-dependent fluid properties, brittle-ductile transition behavior, and possible partial melting make seismic characterization far more complex than that of conventional geothermal reservoirs. Under such conditions, seismic-wave propagation is controlled not only by elastic contrasts, but also by viscoelastic relaxation, pore-fluid effects, local wave-induced fluid flow, and long-term thermo-hydromechanical- chemical evolution. A systematic understanding of these processes is therefore essential for reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development design. This paper reviews recent advances in petrophysical modeling and numerical simulation of seismic-wave propagation in superhot rocks and supercritical geothermal systems. The review is organized around an integrated framework that links governing physical mechanisms, rock-physics models, numerical methods, and monitoring applications. In this framework, the Burgers model is used to describe high-temperature viscoelastic deformation, steady-state creep, and partial-melt effects near the brittleductile transition, whereas the Gassmann equation and its extensions are used to quantify fluid-substitution effects on bulk modulus and seismic velocity. Biot poroelasticity and squirt-flow mechanisms are further incorporated to account for wave dispersion and attenuation caused by fluid-solid relative motion and local fluid flow in crackand pore-bearing media. These physical descriptions are then embedded into full-wavefield modeling schemes for analyzing seismic responses in high-temperature geothermal environments. Existing studies indicate that deep seismic responses are mainly governed by melt-related viscoelastic losses. These effects lead to strong reductions in S-wave velocity, severe attenuation, and relaxation peaks in seismic quality factors. In shallower sections, by contrast, P-wave velocity is more sensitive to effective pressure and fluid substitution than to melt-related softening. When squirt-flow effects are included, attenuation may be significantly enhanced, particularly in fractured and fluid-saturated formations. Numerical simulations further show that seismic observability depends strongly on the thermal and hydraulic evolution of the reservoir. In enhanced supercritical geothermal systems, cold-water reinjection produces clearer time-lapse seismic signatures than isothermal reinjection, making it more favorable for reservoir monitoring. Synthetic VSP and time-lapse seismic responses can provide quantitative constraints on the geometry, migration, and expansion rate of cooled zones and other injection-induced anomalies. Despite these advances, current models remain largely phenomenological and still face limitations in describing fracture-induced anisotropy, multiphase and non-equilibrium fluid processes, and fully coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical feedbacks across scales. Future progress will require multiscale theoretical developments, better integration of laboratory measurements and field observations, and more efficient highperformance numerical simulations. These advances are expected to improve the quantitative exploration, monitoring, and sustainable development of superhot geothermal resources.
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