← Back to Sessions

Date: 4/20/2021

Session Time: 2:30 PM to 3:45 PM Pacific

Mechanisms of Induced Seismicity: Pressure Diffusion, Elastic Stressing and Aseismic Slip

The rise of man-made earthquakes has generated interest from a broad range of scientists and stakeholders. The interest stems from both practical and scientific standpoints, whereby induced seismicity poses a hazard that can potentially be mitigated and also presents an opportunity to learn about earthquakes in an environment where driving mechanisms may be better constrained. Recent advances in seismic and geodetic monitoring has allowed for more detailed observations of anthropogenically induced and triggered seismicity. These observations have revealed more complex interactions beyond effective stress reduction, including aseismic processes and elastic stress effects. A better understanding of the contributions from these processes (as a function of distance and time, as well as flow and elastic parameters) has significant implications for the expected seismic hazard. In addition, seismic hazard assessment is tied to improved characterizations of the primary controlling factors on induced earthquakes (e.g. injection volumes and rates, change in reservoir pressure, induced stressing rates). 

We solicit studies on any types of induced seismicity around the world, including geothermal, hydrocarbon production, waste-water disposal, CO2 sequestration and gas storage. Case studies from the laboratory to large-N array deployments to field-scales are welcomed. We also seek studies from a wide variety of disciplines that aim to monitor, observe and model injection-induced seismicity. The aim of this session is to bring together numerical, observational and experimental studies on both aseismic and seismic processes associated with induced earthquakes.

Conveners

Ruijia Wang, University of New Mexico (ruijia@unm.edu)
Matthew Weingarten, San Diego State University (mweingarten@sdsu.edu)
Thomas Göbel, University of Memphis (thgoebel@memphis.edu)
Heather R. DeShon, Southern Methodist University (hdeshon@mail.smu.edu)
Kyung Won Chang, Sandia National Laboratories (kchang@sandia.gov)

Oral Presentations