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The pioneering work of Mike Batzle and his colleagues has provided a fundamental understanding of mechanisms behind dispersion and attenuation of elastic waves in fluid-saturated rocks. It also has made way for a realization that these phenomena need to be accounted for in a better way when interpreting seismic and sonic data from the field. Laboratory experiments have formed the basis for new insight in the past and will continue to do so. Here, examples of experimental observations that give direct or indirect evidence for dispersion in sand, sandstone, and shale are presented. Ultrasonic data from compaction tests show that Biot flow is the most likely dispersion mechanism in pure unconsolidated sand. Strong shale dispersion has been identified through low-frequency and low-strain quasistatic measurements and through a novel technique based on static loading and unloading measurements. In shale and sandstone containing clay, there is evidence for water weakening. A comparative study shows an example where the stress dependences of P-and S-wave velocities at seismic frequencies exceed those measured by traditional ultrasonic methods.

Improved estimates of the amount of subsurface gas hydrates are needed for natural resource, geohazard, and climate impact assessments. To evaluate gas hydrate saturation from seismic methods, the properties of pure gas hydrates need to be known. Whereas the properties of sediments, specifically sands, and hydrate‐bearing sediments are well studied, the properties of pure hydrates are largely unknown. Hence, we present laboratory ultrasonic P‐wave velocity and attenuation measurements on pure tetrahydrofuran hydrates as they form with reducing temperatures from 25°C to 1°C under atmospheric pressure conditions. Tetrahydrofuran hydrates, with structure II symmetry, are considered as proxies for the structure I methane hydrates because both have similar effects on elastic properties of hydrate‐bearing sediments. We find that although velocity increased, the waveform frequency content and amplitude decreased after the hydrate formation reaction was complete, indicating an increase in P‐wave attenuation after hydrate formation. When the tetrahydrofuran hydrate was cooled below the freezing point of water, velocity and quality factor increased. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance results indicate the presence of water in the “pure hydrate” samples above the water freezing point, but none below. The presence of liquid water between hydrate grains most likely causes heightened attenuation in tetrahydrofuran hydrates above the freezing point of water. In naturally occurring hydrates, a similarly high attenuation might relate to the presence of water.

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