Shallow crustal permeability enhancement in central Japan due to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake

Kinoshita, Chihiro; Kano, Yasuyuki; Ito, Hisao

doi:10.1002/2014gl062792

Cited by 37 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…However, the Hsieh model does not apply when the phase shift between the water level and the tidal strain is positive (a positive phase shift indicates that the water level response precedes the tidal strain [ Roeloffs , ]). Roeloffs [] proposed that a positive phase shift results from the diffusion of pore pressure to the water table (the aquifer is not well confined); the degree of confinement controls the frequency response of the pore pressure to tidal loading [ Kinoshita et al ., ]. In addition, the relationship between phase shift and hydraulic diffusivity can be written as [ Doan et al ., ] (see more details in Text S2 in the supporting information):

p ((),, z, ω) = italicBKuε ((), 1 - e^{prefix- ((), 1 + i) z true/ \sqrt{2 D true/ ω}})

where p ( z , ω ) is the pore‐pressure fluctuation at depth z ; B is Skempton's coefficient; K u is the bulk modulus of the saturated rock under undrained conditions; ɛ is the change in the volumetric strain; D is hydraulic diffusivity; and ω is the frequency of fluctuation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aquifers switched from confined to semiconfined by earthquakes

Shi

Wang

2016

Geophysical Research Letters

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Earthquake‐induced aquifer parameter changes (e.g., permeability and hydraulic diffusivity) have been documented in many studies. However, changes in the confinement of an aquifer from confined to semiconfined following an earthquake have not been reported. Here we focus on the tidal response of the water level in four wells following the 2008 Wenchuan Mw 7.9 and 2013 Lushan Mw 6.6 earthquakes to show that earthquakes can change confined aquifers to semiconfined aquifers by reopening of preexisting vertical fractures (and later healing). This study has important implications because a switch from confined to semiconfined means a change of vertical hydraulic connection, which may affect the vulnerability of an aquifer, the integrity of underground waste repositories, and the safety of groundwater supplies.

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p ((),, z, ω) = italicBKuε ((), 1 - e^{prefix- ((), 1 + i) z true/ \sqrt{2 D true/ ω}})

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aquifers switched from confined to semiconfined by earthquakes

Shi

Wang

2016

Geophysical Research Letters

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“…The available data (Liao et al, 2011;Lai et al, 2014;Gong, 2009;Tang et al, 2013) show no relationship between the phase shift change and the length of the screened section. Previous field studies show that the time required for permeability recovery observed in the field usually ranges from weeks to years (Davis et al, 2001;Kinoshita et al, 2015;Manga et al, 2012;Manga and Rowland, 2009;Shi et al, 2013c;Xue et al, 2013), but in some cases perhaps as short as minutes (Geballe et al, 2011). Laboratory experiments, in contrast, document that permeability recovery can finish in tens of minutes (Candela et al, 2014(Candela et al, , 2015Elkhoury et al, 2011) but with a sensitivity to flow rate (Candela et al, 2015).…”

Section: Mechanism Of Dynamic Strain Induced Permeability Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanism of co-seismic water level change following four great earthquakes – insights from co-seismic responses throughout the Chinese mainland

Shi

Wang

Manga

et al. 2015

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

112

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We analyze the co-seismic groundwater level responses to four great earthquakes recorded by China's network of groundwater monitoring wells. The large number of operational wells (164 wells for the 2007 Mw 8.5 Sumatra earthquake, 245 wells for the Mw 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake, 228 wells for the Mw 9.0 Tohoku earthquake and 223 wells for 2012 Mw 8.6 Sumatra earthquake) and co-seismic responses provide an opportunity to test hypotheses on mechanisms for co-seismic water level changes. Overall, the co-seismic water level responses are complex over large spatial scales, and there is great variability both in the sign and amplitude of water level responses in the data set. As shown in previous studies, permeability change, rather than static strain, is a more plausible mechanism to explain most of the coseismic responses. However, we find through tidal analysis of water level responses to solid Earth tide that only one third of these wells that showed a sustained post-seismic response can be explained by earthquake-induced permeability change in aquifers, and these wells had sustained (>30 days) water level changes. Wells that did not show sustained changes are more likely affected by permeability changes only immediately adjacent to the wellbore.

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“…We could not identify a cause for the slight increase in permeability after 2003. Xue et al (2013) reported that permeability in the Wenchuan earthquake fault zone in China was enhanced by the occurrence of remote earthquakes, and Kinoshita et al (2015) suggested that the 2011 Tohoku earthquake caused enhanced permeability in a mine in central Japan. In the Nojima fault, there is no convincing evidence that the permeability enhancement was due to notable earthquakes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in permeability of the Nojima fault damage zone inferred from repeated water injection experiments

Kitagawa

Kano

2016

Earth Planets Space

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In 1995, the Hyogoken-Nanbu earthquake (M 7.3) ruptured the Nojima fault, Awaji Island, central Japan. To investigate the recovery process of a fault zone after a large earthquake, repeated water injection experiments have been conducted every few years in an 1800-m-long borehole near the Nojima fault since 1997. In addition, the groundwater discharge rate and pressure have been observed in an 800-m borehole. From the resulting data, the macroscopic permeability of the fault fracture zone was estimated to range roughly from 1 × 10 −6 to 2 × 10 −6 m/s. The macroscopic permeability of the fault fracture zone decreased until 2003, and then, it stabilized or increased slightly through 2006. These changes in permeability indicate that the fault fracture zone stabilized within 8 years after the occurrence of the earthquake.

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Shallow crustal permeability enhancement in central Japan due to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake

Cited by 37 publications

References 20 publications

Aquifers switched from confined to semiconfined by earthquakes

Aquifers switched from confined to semiconfined by earthquakes

Mechanism of co-seismic water level change following four great earthquakes – insights from co-seismic responses throughout the Chinese mainland

Changes in permeability of the Nojima fault damage zone inferred from repeated water injection experiments

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