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Wang TA, Dunham EM. Hindcasting injection-induced aseismic slip and microseismicity at the Cooper Basin Enhanced Geothermal Systems Project. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19481. [PMID: 36376409 PMCID: PMC9663831 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23812-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a growing recognition that subsurface fluid injection can produce not only earthquakes, but also aseismic slip on faults. A major challenge in understanding interactions between injection-related aseismic and seismic slip on faults is identifying aseismic slip on the field scale, given that most monitored fields are only equipped with seismic arrays. We present a modeling workflow for evaluating the possibility of aseismic slip, given observational constraints on the spatial-temporal distribution of microseismicity, injection rate, and wellhead pressure. Our numerical model simultaneously simulates discrete off-fault microseismic events and aseismic slip on a main fault during fluid injection. We apply the workflow to the 2012 Enhanced Geothermal System injection episode at Cooper Basin, Australia, which aimed to stimulate a water-saturated granitic reservoir containing a highly permeable (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$\hbox {m}{^2}$$\end{document}m2) fault zone. We find that aseismic slip likely contributed to half of the total moment release. In addition, fault weakening from pore pressure changes, not elastic stress transfer from aseismic slip, induces the majority of observed microseismic events, given the inferred stress state. We derive a theoretical model to better estimate the time-dependent spatial extent of seismicity triggered by increases in pore pressure. To our knowledge, this is the first time injection-induced aseismic slip in a granitic reservoir has been inferred, suggesting that aseismic slip could be widespread across a range of lithologies.
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Collettini C, Barchi MR, De Paola N, Trippetta F, Tinti E. Rock and fault rheology explain differences between on fault and distributed seismicity. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5627. [PMID: 36163188 PMCID: PMC9512795 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33373-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Analysis of seismicity can illuminate active fault zone structures but also deformation within large volumes of the seismogenic zone. For the Mw 6.5 2016-2017 Central Italy seismic sequence, seismicity not only localizes along the major structures hosting the mainshocks (on-fault seismicity), but also occurs within volumes of Triassic Evaporites, TE, composed of alternated anhydrites and dolostones. These volumes of distributed microseismicity show a different frequency-magnitude distribution than on-fault seismicity. We interpret that, during the sequence, shear strain-rate increase, and fluid overpressure promoted widespread ductile deformation within TE that light-up with distributed microseismicity. This interpretation is supported by field and laboratory observations showing that TE background ductile deformation is complex and dominated by distributed failure and folding of the anhydrites associated with boudinage hydro-fracturing and faulting of dolostones. Our results indicate that ductile crustal deformation can cause distributed microseismicity, which obeys to different scaling laws than on-fault seismicity occurring on structures characterized by elasto-frictional stick-slip behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Collettini
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), Rome, Italy.
- Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali, Firenze, Italy.
| | - M R Barchi
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia Università degli Studi di Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - N De Paola
- Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - F Trippetta
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy
- Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali, Firenze, Italy
| | - E Tinti
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), Rome, Italy
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3
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Liu YK, Ross ZE, Cochran ES, Lapusta N. A unified perspective of seismicity and fault coupling along the San Andreas Fault. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabk1167. [PMID: 35196076 PMCID: PMC8865773 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abk1167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The San Andreas Fault (SAF) showcases the breadth of possible earthquake sizes and occurrence behavior; in particular, the central SAF is a microcosm of such diversity. This section also exhibits the spectrum of fault coupling from locked to creeping. Here, we show that the observations of aseismic slip, temporal clustering of seismicity, and spatial variations in earthquake size distributions are tightly connected. Specifically, the creep rate along the central SAF is shown to be directly proportional to the fraction of nonclustered earthquakes for the period 1984-2020. This relationship provides a unified perspective of earthquake phenomenology along the SAF, where lower coupling manifests in weaker temporal clustering, with repeating earthquakes as an end-member. This new paradigm provides additional justification for characterizing the northwest ∼75 kilometers of the creeping segment as a transition zone, with potential implications for seismic hazard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Kai Liu
- Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Zachary E. Ross
- Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | | | - Nadia Lapusta
- Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
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Ross ZE, Cochran ES, Trugman DT, Smith JD. 3D fault architecture controls the dynamism of earthquake swarms. Science 2020; 368:1357-1361. [PMID: 32554593 DOI: 10.1126/science.abb0779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The vibrant evolutionary patterns made by earthquake swarms are incompatible with standard, effectively two-dimensional (2D) models for general fault architecture. We leverage advances in earthquake monitoring with a deep-learning algorithm to image a fault zone hosting a 4-year-long swarm in southern California. We infer that fluids are naturally injected into the fault zone from below and diffuse through strike-parallel channels while triggering earthquakes. A permeability barrier initially limits up-dip swarm migration but ultimately is circumvented. This enables fluid migration within a shallower section of the fault with fundamentally different mechanical properties. Our observations provide high-resolution constraints on the processes by which swarms initiate, grow, and arrest. These findings illustrate how swarm evolution is strongly controlled by 3D variations in fault architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary E Ross
- Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| | | | - Daniel T Trugman
- Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.,Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Jonathan D Smith
- Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
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5
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Ross ZE, Idini B, Jia Z, Stephenson OL, Zhong M, Wang X, Zhan Z, Simons M, Fielding EJ, Yun SH, Hauksson E, Moore AW, Liu Z, Jung J. Hierarchical interlocked orthogonal faulting in the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence. Science 2019; 366:346-351. [PMID: 31624209 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaz0109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
A nearly 20-year hiatus in major seismic activity in southern California ended on 4 July 2019 with a sequence of intersecting earthquakes near the city of Ridgecrest, California. This sequence included a foreshock with a moment magnitude (M w) of 6.4 followed by a M w 7.1 mainshock nearly 34 hours later. Geodetic, seismic, and seismicity data provided an integrative view of this sequence, which ruptured an unmapped multiscale network of interlaced orthogonal faults. This complex fault geometry persists over the entire seismogenic depth range. The rupture of the mainshock terminated only a few kilometers from the major regional Garlock fault, triggering shallow creep and a substantial earthquake swarm. The repeated occurrence of multifault ruptures, as revealed by modern instrumentation and analysis techniques, poses a formidable challenge in quantifying regional seismic hazards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary E Ross
- Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
| | - Benjamín Idini
- Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Zhe Jia
- Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Oliver L Stephenson
- Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Minyan Zhong
- Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Xin Wang
- Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Zhongwen Zhan
- Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Mark Simons
- Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Eric J Fielding
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Sang-Ho Yun
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Egill Hauksson
- Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Angelyn W Moore
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Zhen Liu
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Jungkyo Jung
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
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Brenguier F, Boué P, Ben‐Zion Y, Vernon F, Johnson C, Mordret A, Coutant O, Share P, Beaucé E, Hollis D, Lecocq T. Train Traffic as a Powerful Noise Source for Monitoring Active Faults With Seismic Interferometry. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS 2019; 46:9529-9536. [PMID: 31866700 PMCID: PMC6900029 DOI: 10.1029/2019gl083438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 08/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Laboratory experiments report that detectable seismic velocity changes should occur in the vicinity of fault zones prior to earthquakes. However, operating permanent active seismic sources to monitor natural faults at seismogenic depth is found to be nearly impossible to achieve. We show that seismic noise generated by vehicle traffic, and especially heavy freight trains, can be turned into a powerful repetitive seismic source to continuously probe the Earth's crust at a few kilometers depth. Results of an exploratory seismic experiment in Southern California demonstrate that correlations of train-generated seismic signals allow daily reconstruction of direct P body waves probing the San Jacinto Fault down to 4-km depth. This new approach may facilitate monitoring most of the San Andreas Fault system using the railway and highway network of California.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - P. Boué
- ISterre, Université Grenoble AlpesGièresFrance
| | - Y. Ben‐Zion
- Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCAUSA
| | - F. Vernon
- IGPPUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
| | - C.W. Johnson
- IGPPUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
| | | | - O. Coutant
- ISterre, Université Grenoble AlpesGièresFrance
| | - P.‐E. Share
- IGPPUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
| | | | | | - T. Lecocq
- Royal Observatory of BelgiumBrusselsBelgium
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7
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Ross ZE, Trugman DT, Hauksson E, Shearer PM. Searching for hidden earthquakes in Southern California. Science 2019; 364:767-771. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw6888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Earthquakes follow a well-known power-law size relation, with smaller events occurring much more often than larger events. Earthquake catalogs are thus dominated by small earthquakes yet are still missing a much larger number of even smaller events because of signal fidelity issues. To overcome these limitations, we applied a template-matching detection technique to the entire waveform archive of the regional seismic network in Southern California. This effort resulted in a catalog with 1.81 million earthquakes, a 10-fold increase, which provides important insights into the geometry of fault zones at depth, foreshock behavior and nucleation processes, and earthquake-triggering mechanisms. The rich detail resolved in this type of catalog will facilitate the next generation of analyses of earthquakes and faults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary E. Ross
- Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Daniel T. Trugman
- Geophysics Group, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - Egill Hauksson
- Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Peter M. Shearer
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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