Seismicity triggered by fluid injection–induced aseismic slip

Guglielmi, Yves and Cappa, Frédéric and Avouac, Jean-Philippe and Henry, Pierre and Elsworth, Derek (2015) Seismicity triggered by fluid injection–induced aseismic slip. Science, 348 (6240). pp. 1224-1226. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online) DOI 10.1126/science.aab0476

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Abstract

Anthropogenic fluid injections are known to induce earthquakes. The mechanisms involved are poorly understood, and our ability to assess the seismic hazard associated with geothermal energy or unconventional hydrocarbon production remains limited. We directly measure fault slip and seismicity induced by fluid injection into a natural fault. We observe highly dilatant and slow [~4 micrometers per second (μm/s)] aseismic slip associated with a 20-fold increase of permeability, which transitions to faster slip (~10 μm/s) associated with reduced dilatancy and micro-earthquakes. Most aseismic slip occurs within the fluid-pressurized zone and obeys a rate-strengthening friction law with v0 = 0.1 μm/s. Fluid injection primarily triggers aseismic slip in this experiment, with micro-earthquakes being an indirect effect mediated by aseismic creep. How to observe fault injections in real time Faults in the ground are known to deform in response to procedures such as wastewater injection that change the pore pressure. Guglielmi et al. took a crack at monitoring this process in real time with a controlled fluid injection into an inactive fault (see the Perspective by Cornet). Reactivating the dead fault induced aseismic slip, which triggered small earthquakes. These observations can inform models of how friction is related to slip rate. The technique can also be applied to field-scale monitoring of seismicity-inducing wastewater injections. Science, this issue p. 1224; see also p. 1204

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	NILAREP; IA69;
Subjects:	02 - Geodynamics, Geophysics and Tectonics
Divisions:	02 - Geodynamics, Geophysics and Tectonics
Journal or Publication Title:	Science
Volume:	348
Page Range:	pp. 1224-1226
Identification Number:	10.1126/science.aab0476
Depositing User:	Sarah Humbert
Date Deposited:	31 Jul 2015 16:51
Last Modified:	25 Aug 2015 14:30
URI:	http://eprints.esc.cam.ac.uk/id/eprint/3423

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