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Mapping Fracture Growth During the Utah Forge 2024 Extended Circulation

Description: 

The latest Utah FORGE 2024 operations saw the successful completion of an extended circulation test between the injection and production wells. The purpose of this test was to evaluate the performance of well-connectivity and overall efficiency of fluid recovery. The microseismic activity induced during the circulation test was monitored by a network of near-surface stations. Preliminary microseismic event locations reveal general patterns in seismic rates and spread and initially suggest a significant southward and upward microseismic cloud migration triggered by the injected fluids progressing after shut-in. In this study, we apply clustering and relocation algorithms to obtain refined relative relocations for the microseismic events induced during and after the circulation test in August 2024. Resulting relocations confirmed large planar fracture growth south of the wells as a continuation of the fracture zones created during the 2024 stimulation. Fault area estimates of the extended feature revealed maximum magnitudes that could potentially be caused by the structure. We compared injection pressure, rate, and total volume with seismic rate and magnitude to identify any causality between the hydraulic characteristics of the circulation and induced microseismicity. The detailed study of the extended growth of the microseismic cloud is valuable to determine how to maintain an efficient enhanced geothermal system (EGS), as injected fluids are increasingly more difficult to recover as they travel farther from the wells. Furthermore, understanding structural dimensions is important for evaluating the potential seismic risks associated with sub-surface structures and for informing future stimulation and circulation activities at the site.

Session: From Drilling to Ground Shaking: Mechanisms, Monitoring and Mitigation of Induced Earthquakes - I

Type: Oral

Date: 4/17/2026

Presentation Time: 08:30 AM (local time)

Presenting Author: Grant M. Spraker

Student Presenter: Yes

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