Well logging lies at the intersection of applied geophysics, petroleum and geotechnical engineering. It has its roots in the tentative electrical measurements in well bores which were made by the Schlumberger brothers some 80 years ago in the earliest days of systematic petroleum exploration. Today, a variety of specialized instruments is used to obtain measurements from the borehole during, as well as after, the drilling process. This readable and authoritative treatment of the physics of these measurements dispels the "black magic" of well log interpretation by relating them, including those obtained by the latest generation of tools, to rock physics. It offers a thorough exposé of the physical basis of borehole geophysical measurements, as well as an introduction to practical petrophysics -- extracting desired properties from well log measurements.

An indispensable tool, this book introduces the three primary phases of well-logging technology to engineering and geosciences students. This text offers an in-depth study of the electric, radioactive, and acoustic properties of sedimentary rocks. Mathematical and empirical models relate a formation property of interest to the property measured with the logging tool. Openhole logging techniques are covered, along with concepts of traditional and modern tools.

Contents: Electrical resistivity of rocks • Radioactive and acoustic properties of rocks • Measurement environment • Resistivity logs • The spontaneous potential log • Gamma ray, neutron, and sonic porosity logs • Conventional interpretation techniques • Reconnaissance and pattern-recognition interpretation techniques • Log interpretation of shaly formations • Evaluation of gas-bearing formations