Control Mechanisms for Self‐Sealing in Activated Clay‐Rich Faults Through Controlled Hydraulic Injection Experiment
Abstract In a high‐pressure injection fault activation experiment conducted at the Mont Terri underground research laboratory in Switzerland, the transmissivity of the Opalinus Clay fault significantly increased due to opening and shearing. The fluid injection, spanning a few hours, generated a 10 m...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Water Resources Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR037595 |
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| author | Yves Guglielmi Frédéric Cappa Tanner Shadoan Jonathan Ajo‐Franklin Florian Soom Bill Lanyon Paul Cook Chet Hopp Verónica Rodríguez Tribaldos Michelle Robertson Todd Wood Craig Ulrich Senecio Schefer Christophe Nussbaum Jens Birkholzer |
| author_facet | Yves Guglielmi Frédéric Cappa Tanner Shadoan Jonathan Ajo‐Franklin Florian Soom Bill Lanyon Paul Cook Chet Hopp Verónica Rodríguez Tribaldos Michelle Robertson Todd Wood Craig Ulrich Senecio Schefer Christophe Nussbaum Jens Birkholzer |
| author_sort | Yves Guglielmi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In a high‐pressure injection fault activation experiment conducted at the Mont Terri underground research laboratory in Switzerland, the transmissivity of the Opalinus Clay fault significantly increased due to opening and shearing. The fluid injection, spanning a few hours, generated a 10 m radius fault activation patch. Subsequent pressure pulse tests conducted bi‐weekly for a year revealed the gradual return of fault transmissivity to its initial state. The study utilized fluid pressure decay analysis, optical fiber monitoring, continuous active source seismic measurements and borehole displacement sensors for measuring fault displacements. The fault zone exhibited a dilation of approximately 1.4 mm, associated with both normal and tangential movements during activation, resulting in a sudden transmissivity increase from 1 × 10−12 to 3.2 × 10−7 m2/s. Early post‐activation, transient compaction and the subsequent slow compaction were observed, transitioning to an extension regime. The pressure pulse tests demonstrated a rapid transmissivity drop by more than two orders of magnitude within the first 10 days, followed by a gradual and less pronounced decrease. Plastic shear and compaction dominated the transmissivity evolution until 70 days after injection ended, followed by a period where additional factors, such as clay mineral swelling, influenced the behavior. Extrapolation suggested a sealing process taking at least 50 years after the initial activation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-92b6bee9e69b44c79585fb52be1af003 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0043-1397 1944-7973 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water Resources Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-92b6bee9e69b44c79585fb52be1af0032025-08-20T03:22:16ZengWileyWater Resources Research0043-13971944-79732025-04-01614n/an/a10.1029/2024WR037595Control Mechanisms for Self‐Sealing in Activated Clay‐Rich Faults Through Controlled Hydraulic Injection ExperimentYves Guglielmi0Frédéric Cappa1Tanner Shadoan2Jonathan Ajo‐Franklin3Florian Soom4Bill Lanyon5Paul Cook6Chet Hopp7Verónica Rodríguez Tribaldos8Michelle Robertson9Todd Wood10Craig Ulrich11Senecio Schefer12Christophe Nussbaum13Jens Birkholzer14Energy Geosciences Division Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley CA USAUniversité Côte d’Azur CNRS Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur IRD Géoazur Sophia Antipolis FranceDepartment of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science Rice University Houston TX USADepartment of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science Rice University Houston TX USAEnergy Geosciences Division Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley CA USAFracture Systems Ltd Cornwall UKEnergy Geosciences Division Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley CA USAEnergy Geosciences Division Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley CA USAEnergy Geosciences Division Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley CA USAEnergy Geosciences Division Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley CA USAEnergy Geosciences Division Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley CA USAEnergy Geosciences Division Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley CA USAFederal Office of Topography Wabern SwitzerlandFederal Office of Topography Wabern SwitzerlandEnergy Geosciences Division Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley CA USAAbstract In a high‐pressure injection fault activation experiment conducted at the Mont Terri underground research laboratory in Switzerland, the transmissivity of the Opalinus Clay fault significantly increased due to opening and shearing. The fluid injection, spanning a few hours, generated a 10 m radius fault activation patch. Subsequent pressure pulse tests conducted bi‐weekly for a year revealed the gradual return of fault transmissivity to its initial state. The study utilized fluid pressure decay analysis, optical fiber monitoring, continuous active source seismic measurements and borehole displacement sensors for measuring fault displacements. The fault zone exhibited a dilation of approximately 1.4 mm, associated with both normal and tangential movements during activation, resulting in a sudden transmissivity increase from 1 × 10−12 to 3.2 × 10−7 m2/s. Early post‐activation, transient compaction and the subsequent slow compaction were observed, transitioning to an extension regime. The pressure pulse tests demonstrated a rapid transmissivity drop by more than two orders of magnitude within the first 10 days, followed by a gradual and less pronounced decrease. Plastic shear and compaction dominated the transmissivity evolution until 70 days after injection ended, followed by a period where additional factors, such as clay mineral swelling, influenced the behavior. Extrapolation suggested a sealing process taking at least 50 years after the initial activation.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR037595faultself‐sealingtransmissivityplastic shearswellinglong‐term |
| spellingShingle | Yves Guglielmi Frédéric Cappa Tanner Shadoan Jonathan Ajo‐Franklin Florian Soom Bill Lanyon Paul Cook Chet Hopp Verónica Rodríguez Tribaldos Michelle Robertson Todd Wood Craig Ulrich Senecio Schefer Christophe Nussbaum Jens Birkholzer Control Mechanisms for Self‐Sealing in Activated Clay‐Rich Faults Through Controlled Hydraulic Injection Experiment Water Resources Research fault self‐sealing transmissivity plastic shear swelling long‐term |
| title | Control Mechanisms for Self‐Sealing in Activated Clay‐Rich Faults Through Controlled Hydraulic Injection Experiment |
| title_full | Control Mechanisms for Self‐Sealing in Activated Clay‐Rich Faults Through Controlled Hydraulic Injection Experiment |
| title_fullStr | Control Mechanisms for Self‐Sealing in Activated Clay‐Rich Faults Through Controlled Hydraulic Injection Experiment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Control Mechanisms for Self‐Sealing in Activated Clay‐Rich Faults Through Controlled Hydraulic Injection Experiment |
| title_short | Control Mechanisms for Self‐Sealing in Activated Clay‐Rich Faults Through Controlled Hydraulic Injection Experiment |
| title_sort | control mechanisms for self sealing in activated clay rich faults through controlled hydraulic injection experiment |
| topic | fault self‐sealing transmissivity plastic shear swelling long‐term |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR037595 |
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