A distance that characterizes the ability of a logging tool to resolve changes parallel to the tool axis. The word vertical implies a vertical well, but the term is used at other wellbore deviations. The vertical resolution summarizes the vertical response of the measurement in one or more distances. Most quoted vertical resolutions assume a homogeneous formation with stated properties. Vertical resolutions can vary considerably in more complex conditions, and at different values of the properties concerned. They should be considered only a qualitative guide to tool response.

There are several different definitions of the vertical resolution distance. First, and most commonly, it is the interval within which a large percentage, typically 90%, of the vertical response occurs. Second, it is the minimum bed thickness needed for the measurement to read within a small percentage, typically 10%, of the true value at the center of the bed. Third, it may refer to the smallest bed thickness for which a significant change can be detected by the measurement.

For acoustic and electromagnetic propagation measurements, it is taken, with reasonable accuracy, as the span of the receiver array. For nuclear and nuclear magnetic resonance measurements, which must be acquired during a significant time interval, the vertical resolution also depends on the logging speed and the precision required.