Linking microearthquakes to fracture permeability change: The role of surface roughness

Abstract Despite its importance, the relation between microearthquakes (MEQs) and changes in hydraulic properties during hydraulic stimulation of a fractured reservoir has rarely been explored, and it is still not well understood. To investigate this relation, we first formulate a plausible scale de...

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Main Authors: Takuya Ishibashi, Noriaki Watanabe, Hiroshi Asanuma, Noriyoshi Tsuchiya
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2016-07-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069478
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author Takuya Ishibashi
Noriaki Watanabe
Hiroshi Asanuma
Noriyoshi Tsuchiya
author_facet Takuya Ishibashi
Noriaki Watanabe
Hiroshi Asanuma
Noriyoshi Tsuchiya
author_sort Takuya Ishibashi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Despite its importance, the relation between microearthquakes (MEQs) and changes in hydraulic properties during hydraulic stimulation of a fractured reservoir has rarely been explored, and it is still not well understood. To investigate this relation, we first formulate a plausible scale dependence, where fracture length and shear displacement are variables, for channeling flow through heterogeneous aperture distributions for joints and faults. By combining this formulation with the concept of the seismic moment, we derive quantitative relations between the moment magnitude (Mw) of MEQs and the fracture permeability change in the directions orthogonal to (kfault,⊥/kjoint) and parallel to (kfault,∥/kjoint) the shear displacement, in the form kfault,⊥/kjoint=116.4×100.46Mw and kfault,///kjoint=13.1×100.46Mw. Despite the simplicity of the derivation, these relations have the potential to explain the results of field experiments on hydraulic stimulation, such as the enhanced geothermal systems at Soultz‐sous‐Fôret and Basel.
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spelling doaj-art-d7be877f36664e2e9b306f4038d445d62025-08-20T02:31:41ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072016-07-0143147486749310.1002/2016GL069478Linking microearthquakes to fracture permeability change: The role of surface roughnessTakuya Ishibashi0Noriaki Watanabe1Hiroshi Asanuma2Noriyoshi Tsuchiya3Fukushima Renewable Energy Institute National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology Koriyama JapanGraduate School of Environmental Studies Tohoku University Sendai JapanFukushima Renewable Energy Institute National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology Koriyama JapanGraduate School of Environmental Studies Tohoku University Sendai JapanAbstract Despite its importance, the relation between microearthquakes (MEQs) and changes in hydraulic properties during hydraulic stimulation of a fractured reservoir has rarely been explored, and it is still not well understood. To investigate this relation, we first formulate a plausible scale dependence, where fracture length and shear displacement are variables, for channeling flow through heterogeneous aperture distributions for joints and faults. By combining this formulation with the concept of the seismic moment, we derive quantitative relations between the moment magnitude (Mw) of MEQs and the fracture permeability change in the directions orthogonal to (kfault,⊥/kjoint) and parallel to (kfault,∥/kjoint) the shear displacement, in the form kfault,⊥/kjoint=116.4×100.46Mw and kfault,///kjoint=13.1×100.46Mw. Despite the simplicity of the derivation, these relations have the potential to explain the results of field experiments on hydraulic stimulation, such as the enhanced geothermal systems at Soultz‐sous‐Fôret and Basel.https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069478induced microearthquakesrock fracturepermeabilityshear displacementscale dependencychanneling flow
spellingShingle Takuya Ishibashi
Noriaki Watanabe
Hiroshi Asanuma
Noriyoshi Tsuchiya
Linking microearthquakes to fracture permeability change: The role of surface roughness
Geophysical Research Letters
induced microearthquakes
rock fracture
permeability
shear displacement
scale dependency
channeling flow
title Linking microearthquakes to fracture permeability change: The role of surface roughness
title_full Linking microearthquakes to fracture permeability change: The role of surface roughness
title_fullStr Linking microearthquakes to fracture permeability change: The role of surface roughness
title_full_unstemmed Linking microearthquakes to fracture permeability change: The role of surface roughness
title_short Linking microearthquakes to fracture permeability change: The role of surface roughness
title_sort linking microearthquakes to fracture permeability change the role of surface roughness
topic induced microearthquakes
rock fracture
permeability
shear displacement
scale dependency
channeling flow
url https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069478
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AT noriakiwatanabe linkingmicroearthquakestofracturepermeabilitychangetheroleofsurfaceroughness
AT hiroshiasanuma linkingmicroearthquakestofracturepermeabilitychangetheroleofsurfaceroughness
AT noriyoshitsuchiya linkingmicroearthquakestofracturepermeabilitychangetheroleofsurfaceroughness