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In real problems of exploration seismology we deal with a heterogeneity of the nature of elastic waves interaction with the surface of a fracture by the propagation through it. The fracture is a complex heterogeneous structure. In some locations the surfaces of fractures are placed some distance apart and are separated by filling fluid or emptiness, in some places we can observe the gluing of surfaces, when under the action of pressure forces the fracture surfaces are closely adjoined to each other. In addition, fractures can be classified by the nature of saturation: fluid or gas. Obviously, for such a large variety in the structure of fractures, one cannot use only one model that satisfies all cases.

This article is concerned with description of developed mathematical fracture models which can be used for numerical solution of exploration seismology problems using the grid-characteristic method on unstructured triangular (in 2D-case) and tetrahedral (in 3D-case) meshes. The basis of the developed models is the concept of an infinitely thin fracture, whose aperture does not influence the wave processes in the fracture area. These fractures are represented by bound areas and contact boundaries with different conditions on contact and boundary surfaces. Such an approach significantly reduces the consumption of computer resources since there is no need to define the mesh inside the fracture. On the other side, it allows the fractures to be given discretely in the integration domain, therefore, one can observe qualitatively new effects, such as formation of diffractive waves and multiphase wave front due to multiple reflections between the surfaces of neighbor fractures, which cannot be observed by using effective fracture models actively used in computational seismology.

The computational modeling of seismic waves propagation through layers of mesofractures was produced using developed fracture models. The results were compared with the results of physical modeling in problems in the same statements.

The paper presents results of numerical modeling of stress-strain state of jack-up rigs used for shelf hydrocarbon reservoirs exploitation. The work studied the equilibrium stress state of a jack-up rig standing on seafloor and mechanical behavior of the rig under seismic loading. Surface elastic wave caused by a distant earthquake acts a reason for the loading. Stability of jack-up rig is the main topic of the research, as stability can be lost due to redistribution of stresses and strains in the elements of the rig due to seismic loading. Modeling results revealed that seismic loading can indeed lead to intermittent growth of stresses in particular elements of the rig’s support legs resulting into stability loss. These results were obtained using the finite element-based numerical scheme. The paper contains the proof of modeling results convergence obtained from analysis of one problem — the problem of stresses and strains distributions for the contact problem of a rigid cylinder indenting on elastic half space. The comparison between numerical and analytical solutions proved the used numerical scheme to be correct, as obtained results converged. The paper presents an analysis of the different factors influencing the mechanical behavior of the studied system. These factors include the degree of seismic loading, mechanical properties of seafloor sediments, and depth of support legs penetration. The results obtained from numerical modeling made it possible to formulate preliminary conclusions regarding the need to take site-specific conditions into account whenever planning the use of jack-up rigs, especially, in the regions with seismic activity. The approach presented in the paper can be used to evaluate risks related to offshore hydrocarbon reservoirs exploitation and development, while the reported numerical scheme can be used to solve some contact problems of theory of elasticity with the need to analyze dynamic processes.