  While the seismic effects of wave-induced fluid flow due to mesoscopic
heterogeneities have been studied for several decades, the role played by these
types of heterogeneities on seismoelectric phenomena is largely unexplored. To
address this issue, we have developed a novel methodological framework which
allows for the coupling of wave-induced fluid flow, as inferred through
numerical oscillatory compressibility tests, with the pertinent seismoelectric
conversion mechanisms. Simulating the corresponding response of a
water-saturated sandstone sample containing mesoscopic fractures, we
demonstrate for the first time that these kinds of heterogeneities can produce
measurable seismoelectric signals under typical laboratory conditions. Given
that this phenomenon is sensitive to key hydraulic and mechanical properties,
we expect that the results of this pilot study will stimulate further
exploration on this topic in several domains of the Earth, environmental, and
engineering sciences.
