Natural and artificial fractures response characterisation in large-size samples using distributed acoustic sensing technology

We conducted laboratory experiments using large-scale samples (height: 0.47, diameter: 0.39 m) of basalt and marble coiled with telecommunication fibre. The fibre optical cable was converted to an array of densely spaced receivers (0.01 m) using distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology, and the source was placed on top of the samples. We demonstrate with an active acoustic setup how we can capture both the natural and artificial fracture responses. Therefore, this work investigates the applicability of the DAS method for seismic imaging on the lab scale for further technological advancement of vertical seismic profiling using DAS.