Cross‐Property Relationship Between Electrical Resistivity and Elastic Wave Velocity of Crustal Rocks From the Oman Drilling Project Hole GT3A: Implications for in Situ Geophysical Properties of Oceanic Crust

Geophysical properties of oceanic crust are strongly influenced by the presence of cracks. We studied the effects of cracks on the physical properties of oceanic crustal rocks collected from the ICDP Oman Drilling Project Hole GT3A. Electrical resistivity and P‐ and S‐wave velocities were measured under dry and brine‐water‐saturated conditions for each sample. The experimental results reveal that electrical resistivity and elastic wave velocities are differently correlated with porosity. We performed joint inversion of the measured electrical and elastic properties combining an effective medium model by Kachanov and a statistical crack fluid flow model by Guéguen and Dienes with percolation theory. As a result, the variations in electrical and elastic properties can be related to the crack microstructural parameters: crack density and aspect ratio, as well as connectivity of cracks evaluated from crack density. To understand the influence of in situ conditions of oceanic crust, the joint inversion using the proposed cross‐property relationship was performed for geophysical properties obtained by logging measurements at IODP Hole 1256D. Results show the depth variations of resistivity and sonic velocities can be successfully interpreted by decreasing crack porosity and connectivity. Our data and analysis can provide new insights into the interpretation of geophysical data from the oceanic crust at which pore‐fluid plays key roles in various geodynamic activities. Plain Language Summary Cracks in the oceanic crust play key roles in subsurface processes, including fluid transportation, heat and chemical exchange, and microbial activity. Therefore, it is important to understand how cracks are distributed in the oceanic crust. Given that cracks exert an important influence on the physical properties of rocks, electrical and seismological surveys have been conducted at various locations in the oceanic plates. However, to quantitatively interpret the geophysical data obtained from these surveys, laboratory investigations are essential. In this study, we measured the electrical resistivity and elastic wave velocity of oceanic crustal rocks collected from drillcores of the Oman ophiolite, in which tectonic fragments of ancient oceanic plate are preserved on land. Our experimental data show that electrical resistivity and elastic wave velocity are differently correlated with porosity. Analysis of these data indicates that the variations in the electrical and elastic