Modeling Injection‐Induced Seismicity with the Physics‐Based Earthquake Simulator RSQSim

Dieterich, James H.; Richards‐Dinger, K. B.; Kroll, K.

doi:10.1785/0220150057

Cited by 90 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…This is likely because the reconstructed Gutenberg-Richter law is obtained assuming nondecreasing injection rates and is applicable for earthquake magnitudes less than 2.0 (Shapiro, 2015), ignoring timedependent fluid diffusion and mechanisms of earthquake nucleation. Thus, a comprehensive analysis requires incorporating the rate-and-state friction law into geomechanical modeling (Dieterich et al, 2015;McClure & Horne, 2011;Segall & Lu, 2015). In this approach, the seismicity rate is expressed as a function of space and time, hydrogeological properties, fault geometries, and injection rates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fluid Injection and Time‐Dependent Seismic Hazard in the Barnett Shale, Texas

Zhai

Shirzaei

2018

Geophysical Research Letters

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The Barnett Shale in Texas experienced an increase in seismicity since 2008, coinciding with high‐volume deep fluid injection. Despite the spatial proximity, the lack of a first‐order correlation between seismic records and the total volume of injected fluid requires more comprehensive geomechanical analysis, which accounts for local hydrogeology. Using time‐varying injections at 96 wells and employing a coupled linear poroelastic model, we simulate the spatiotemporal evolution of pore pressure and poroelastic stresses during 2007–2015. The overall contribution of poroelastic stresses to Coulomb failure stress change is ~10% of that of pore pressure; however, both can explain the spatiotemporal distribution of earthquakes. We use a seismicity rate model to calculate earthquake magnitude exceedance probability due to stress changes. The obtained time‐dependent seismic hazard is heterogeneous in space and time. Decreasing injection rates does not necessarily reduce probabilities immediately.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fluid Injection and Time‐Dependent Seismic Hazard in the Barnett Shale, Texas

Zhai

Shirzaei

2018

Geophysical Research Letters

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“…Rate-and state-dependent friction laws, which postulate that frictional strength depends on slip velocity and on the state of the contact surface [Dieterich, 1979;Ruina, 1983;Rice, 1983], aim at translating laboratory-scale stick-slip instabilities into models of earthquake rupture dynamics [Marone, 1998;Scholz, 1998]. Three important recent contributions in this direction are the incorporation of faults as frictional interfaces with rate-and-state constitutive behavior [Jha and Juanes, 2014], the simulation of injection-induced fault rupture using a slip-rate-dependent friction coefficient [Urpi et al, 2016], and the incorporation of flow couplings into the RSQSim simulator for fault systems [Dieterich et al, 2015]. Coupled hydromechanical simulation has recently emerged as a key technology to assess the impact of flow processes on induced earthquakes [e.g., Rutqvist, 2011a, 2011b;McClure and Horne, 2011;Rinaldi et al, 2014;Jha and Juanes, 2014].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stick‐slip dynamics of flow‐induced seismicity on rate and state faults

Cueto‐Felgueroso

Santillán

Feijóo

2017

Geophysical Research Letters

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Changes in pore pressure due to the injection or extraction of fluids from underground formations may induce potentially damaging earthquakes and/or increase the sensitivity of injection sites to remote triggering. The basic mechanism behind injection‐induced seismicity is a change in effective stress that weakens a preexisting fault. The seismic potential of a given fault is controlled by the partitioning between seismic and aseismic slip events, which emerge as a manifestation of stick‐slip instabilities. Through fully coupled hydromechanical simulations, with fault frictional contact described by the Dieterich‐Ruina “aging” law, we investigate the evolution of slip due to pore pressure increase in an underground injection model. For the same flow conditions and rock mechanical properties, different constitutive parameters lead to a variety of stick‐slip patterns, ranging from stable sliding or a sequence of many small slip events, to a single, larger coseismic event after significant aseismic slip has occurred. Our results suggest that good characterization of fault frictional properties and coupled geomechanical simulations are essential to assess the seismic hazard associated with underground flow processes.

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“…For example, seismicity patterns in Oklahoma are affected by the distribution of wastewater injection (Goebel et al, ) and changes in the rate of wastewater injection (Barbour et al, ) but also include a significant proportion of events induced by high‐pressure reservoir stimulation (Skoumal et al, ). So it remains of critical importance to understand how interactions between injection and reservoir response impact pore pressure diffusion, poroelastic stress changes, and flow patterns, because of the implications for fault slip at seismogenic depths (e.g., Chang & Segall, , ; Zhang et al, ), seismicity rates (Dieterich et al, ; Llenos & Michael, ; Segall & Lu, ), and, ultimately, seismic hazard (Langenbruch et al, 2018; Langenbruch & Zoback, ; Petersen et al, ; Norbeck & Rubinstein, ; Zhai & Shirzaei, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leakage and Increasing Fluid Pressure Detected in Oklahoma's Wastewater Disposal Reservoir

et al. 2019

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The Arbuckle Group is the principal reservoir used for wastewater disposal in Oklahoma. In Osage County—a seismically quiet part of the state—continuous measurements of fluid pressure reveal that pressure in the reservoir is increasing by at least 5 kPa annually and sometimes at a much higher rate. Tidal analysis reveals that fluid level changes lead the local strain tides, with no apparent influence from transient permeability changes; this indicates a response that is inconsistent with flow in a radially extensive, confined reservoir. We investigate whether this is due to vertical flow to the water table, vertical flow within the Arbuckle, or local distortions from fractures. While none of these alternative models can fully explain both the observed tidal phases and amplitude ratios, the observed response to teleseismic waves supports a mechanism related to leakage rather than fracture effects. At this location fluid influx associated with wastewater disposal is offset by migration into surrounding layers, which include the Precambrian basement below. Thus, our findings suggest the need to monitor for changes in the induced seismicity hazard, while pore pressures increase in a leaky disposal reservoir.

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Modeling Injection‐Induced Seismicity with the Physics‐Based Earthquake Simulator RSQSim

Cited by 90 publications

References 28 publications

Fluid Injection and Time‐Dependent Seismic Hazard in the Barnett Shale, Texas

Fluid Injection and Time‐Dependent Seismic Hazard in the Barnett Shale, Texas

Stick‐slip dynamics of flow‐induced seismicity on rate and state faults

Leakage and Increasing Fluid Pressure Detected in Oklahoma's Wastewater Disposal Reservoir

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