Abstract: An embodiment of an apparatus for estimating properties of an earth formation includes a carrier configured to be deployed in a borehole in the earth formation, a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurement device including a transmitting assembly configured to emit a pulse sequence into a region of a sedimentary earth formation, a receiving assembly configured to detect NMR signals in response to the pulse sequence, and a processor configured to receive the NMR signals and estimate one or more mechanical properties of the region. The processor is configured to perform calculating a size distribution based on the NMR signals, the size distribution including at least one of a pore size distribution and a grain size distribution in the region, estimating a strength of the region based on the size distribution, and performing one or more aspects of an energy industry operation based on the strength.