In this paper, we derive an approximation of the SS-wave reflection coefficient and the expression of S-wave ray elastic impedance （SREI） in terms of the ray parameter. The SREI can be expressed by the S-wave incidence angle or P-wave reflection angle, referred to as SREIS and SREIP, respectively. Our study using elastic models derived from real log measurements shows that SREIP has better capability for lithology and fluid discrimination than SREIS and conventional S-wave elastic impedance （SEI）. We evaluate the SREIP feasibility using 25 groups of samples from Castagna and Smith （1994）. Each sample group is constructed by using shale, brine-sand, and gas-sand. Theoretical evaluation also indicates that SRE1P at large incident angles is more sensitive to fluid than conventional fluid indicators. Real seismic data application also shows that SRE1P at large angles calculated using P-wave and S-wave impedance can efficiently characterize tight gas-sand.
