Borehole Breakout. Bibliographic Synthesis

Natural borehole breakout (borehole cross-section elongation) due to the fracturing and spalling of well walls has been used in recent years to determine the direction of stress in the Earth's crust. Its performances and scope of application are compared to those of other methods used in boreholes. An initial selection of information obtained by different logging tools appeared necessary to prevent any contamination of measurements by phenomena independent of deformation under stress. The principal parameters governing the amplitude and frequency of the phenomenon are reviewed. The outlook for the future of the method are examined, including the recent development of research on borehole breakout by the plastic deformation of the surrounding formations