The West Bohemian seismoactive region is situated near the contact of
the Moldanubian, Bohemian and Saxothuringian units in which a large vo
lume is occupied by granitoid massifs. The spatial distribution of P-w
ave velocities and the rock fabric of five representative samples from
these massifs were studied. The P-wave velocities were measured on sp
herical samples in 132 independent directions under hydrostatic pressu
re up to 400 MPa, using the pulse-transmission method. The pressure of
400 MPa corresponds to a depth of about 15 km in the area under study
. The changes of P-wave velocity were correlated with the preferred or
ientations of the main rock fabric elements, i.e., rock forming minera
ls and microcracks. The values of the P-wave velocity from laboratory
measurements on granite samples fit the velocity model used by seismol
ogists in the West Bohemian seismoactive region.