Tracking the development of seismic fracture network from The Geysers geothermal field

Orlecka-Sikora, Beata and Cielesta, Szymon and Lasocki, Stanislaw (2018) Tracking the development of seismic fracture network from The Geysers geothermal field. Acta Geophysica, 67 (1). pp. 341-350. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-018-0202-6

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Official URL: http://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-018-0202-6

Abstract

Underground fluid injections result in rock mass fracturing. The associated environmental hazards in a significant part stem from a possibility for linking these fractures. The resultant crevices may allow for an undesired and hazardous fluid migration. We studied the fracture linking problem on data from a part of The Geysers geothermal field in California, USA. We parameterized seismic events by the distance between hypocenter and injecting well, by the angle between the position vector of hypocentre and the maximum horizontal stress direction and by the angle of rotation required to turn the event’s double-couple mechanism into the prevailing in this area faults’ orientation. To make these parameters comparable, we transformed them to equivalent dimensions. Based on distances between events in the transformed parameter space, we divided the seismic events into clusters. The percentage of potentially linked fractures in clusters was greater at low than at high injection rate.

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Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Fluid injection Induced seismicity Fracture network Equivalent dimensions
Subjects: Methodology > Method and procesing > Technology-seismicity interaction
Region > USA > California > Geysers
Inducing technology > Geothermal energy production
Project: EPOS-IP > THE GEYSERS Prati 9 and Prati 29 cluster: Treated wastewater injection for geothermal power production