Correlation of Static and Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Australian Sedimentary Rocks

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the correlation between static and dynamic mechanical properties of sedimentary rocks from Australian basins. By leveraging both empirical and machine learning techniques, we provide valuable insights into the predictive capabilities of different methodologies and identify the most effective approaches for capturing the intricate relationships within the dataset. The results of our study reveal that several machine learning methods consistently outperform empirical approaches, yielding lower error values and providing more accurate predictions of the correlation between static and dynamic properties. Furthermore, we rank these machine learning methods based on their respective error values, offering insights into the relative performance of each algorithm. Our findings not only advance our understanding of sedimentary rock mechanics but also offer practical recommendations for improving reservoir characterization, enhancing geotechnical assessments, and optimizing engineering design. Sedimentary rocks are integral components of the Earth's crust, encompassing a vast array of lithological compositions, depositional environments, and geologic histories (Miall, 2013; Milliken, 2014). Their mechanical properties play a critical role in various engineering and geotechnical applications, including reservoir characterization, wellbore stability assessment, and underground mining design (Abdollahipour et al., 2019; Ghassemi, 2012; Li et al., 2022; Li et al., 2023; Zhong et al., 2021). Understanding the relationship between the static and dynamic mechanical properties of sedimentary rocks is fundamental for accurately predicting their behavior under different loading conditions and is also crucial for interpreting subsurface geology, predicting reservoir behavior, and designing resilient infrastructure (Chang et al., 2006; Sone & Zoback, 2013; Wang et al., 2016). The Australian continent hosts a diverse range of sedimentary basins, each with unique depositional settings and rock types (Huston et al., 2016; Jaireth et al., 2014; Jaques et al., 2002). These basins offer an excellent opportunity to investigate the correlation between static and dynamic mechanical properties across different geological contexts. Despite the significance of such correlations, comprehensive studies addressing this relationship in the Australian sedimentary basins are limited.