Patent ID: 8498853

Claim:
A computer implemented method for predicting a plastic mechanical property in a selected subsurface rock formation without lab testing of core samples from said formation, comprising: using one or more empirical predictive algorithms in a computer, based on a database of mechanical and associated petrophysical rock properties developed from laboratory testing of core samples from other formations with varying lithologies, to predict a plastic mechanical property from one or more measured or estimated petrophysical properties of the selected formation, wherein the one or more empirical predictive algorithms are constructed using empirical correlations between mechanical and associated petrophysical properties from analysis of portions of the rock properties database selected as having lithologic similarity to said selected rock formation; and using rock physics theory to adjust the one or more log petrophysical properties to account for one or more differences between laboratory conditions for the rock database data and in situ conditions applicable to the measurement or estimation of the one or more petrophysical properties of the selected formation.