On the mechanisms of reservoir-induced seismicity (South Carolina)

Reservoir-induced seismicity (RIS) is caused by failure of pre-existing fractures due to reservoir impoundment or water level changes. More than one hundred RIS cases have been observed around the world, with the largest event reaching a magnitude M6.3. We have used detailed data collected around the world to study the mechanisms of RIS.; Impoundment of a reservoir can change the frictional strength of a fault by elastic loading and by pore pressure diffusion. Stress and strength changes were calculated for 53 well-located earthquakes at Monticello Reservoir, South Carolina where detailed information of the fault planes and reservoir filling was known. The calculations showed that the diffusion of pore pressure is primarily responsible for the earthquakes, and that strength changes ≤0.1 MPa are enough to trigger RIS, indicating that large parts of crust are very near the state of critical failure.; Monticello Reservoir was impounded in 1977 and the seismicity had decayed to background level by 1992. There was a sudden increase in seismicity starting at the end of 1996, at a time when there were no water level changes in the reservoir. This new seismicity occurred in isolated new hypocentral areas with no previous earthquakes. Analyses showed that the new seismicity was caused by the coupled effects of chemical reactions and pore pressure diffusion.; Of the nineteen cases of RIS in China, fifteen are located in carbonate rocks. Chemical reactions between water and the carbonate rocks are responsible for the seismicity.; Detailed spatial and temporal data of seismicity associated with reservoir impoundment, geothermal and oilfield exploitation and fluid injection were collected in the study. Hydraulic diffusivity and permeability values in the seismogenic areas were estimated from these data. The results showed that in the seismogenic areas with induced seismicity, hydraulic diffusivity values lie in the range of 0.1 to 10 m2/s and the permeability values are in the range of 0.5 to 50 × 10−15 m 2. These narrow ranges of values are characteristic of seismogenic areas and are labeled seismogenic diffusivity C_s and seismogenic permeability k_s respectively. Induced seismicity occurs preferentially in fractured rocks with seismogenic diffusivity and permeability.