Potential Seismicity Along Basement Faults Induced by Geological Carbon Sequestration

Chang, Kyung Won; Yoon, Hongkyu; Martinez, M. J.

doi:10.1029/2022gl098721

Potential Seismicity Along Basement Faults Induced by Geological Carbon Sequestration

Journal Article · Thu Jul 07 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Geophysical Research Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2022gl098721· OSTI ID:1877149

^[1]; ^[1]; Martinez, M. J. ^[1]

Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Large-scale CO₂ sequestration into geological formations has been suggested to reduce CO₂ emissions from industrial activities. However, much like enhanced geothermal stimulation and wastewater injection, CO₂ sequestration has a potential to induce earthquake along weak faults, which can be considered a negative impact on safety and public opinion. This research shows the physical mechanisms of potential seismic hazards along basement faults driven by CO₂ sequestration under variation in geological and operational constraints. Specifically we compare the poroelastic behaviors between multiphase flow and single-phase flow cases, highlighting specific needs of evaluating induced seismicity associated with CO₂ sequestration. In contrast to single-phase injection scenario, slower migration of the CO₂ plume than pressure pulse may delay accumulation of pressure and stress along basement faults that may not be mitigated immediately by shut-in of injection. The impact of multiphase flow system, therefore, needs to be considered for proper monitoring and mitigation strategies.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program

Grant/Contract Number:: NA0003525

OSTI ID:: 1877149

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1875321

Report Number(s):: SAND2022-8997J; 707870

Journal Information:: Geophysical Research Letters, Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters Journal Issue: 13 Vol. 49; ISSN 0094-8276

Publisher:: American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (42)

Coupled multiphase flow and poromechanics: A computational model of pore pressure effects on fault slip and earthquake triggering Jha, Birendra; Juanes, Ruben Water Resources Research, Vol. 50, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1002/2013WR015175	journal	May 2014
Injection-induced seismicity on basement faults including poroelastic stressing: INDUCED SEISMICITY ON BASEMENT FAULTS Chang, K. W.; Segall, P. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 121, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JB012561	journal	April 2016
Poroelastic stress triggering of the December 2013 Crooked Lake, Alberta, induced seismicity sequence: POROELASTIC STRESSING-INDUCED SEISMICITY Deng, Kai; Liu, Yajing; Harrington, Rebecca M. Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 43, Issue 16 https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL070421	journal	August 2016
Far-field pressurization likely caused one of the largest injection induced earthquakes by reactivating a large preexisting basement fault structure: FAIRVIEW EARTHQUAKE ON 13 FEBRUARY 2016 Yeck, W. L.; Weingarten, M.; Benz, H. M. Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 43, Issue 19 https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL070861	journal	October 2016
Characterization of induced seismicity patterns derived from internal structure in event clusters: CHARACTERIZATION OF INDUCED SEISMICITY Goertz-Allmann, B. P.; Gibbons, S. J.; Oye, V. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 122, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JB013731	journal	May 2017
Induced seismicity associated with fluid injection into a deep well in Youngstown, Ohio: INDUCED SEISMICITY IN YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO Kim, Won-Young Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 118, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrb.50247	journal	July 2013
Reduction of Injection-Induced Pore-Pressure and Stress in Basement Rocks Due to Basal Sealing Layers Chang, Kyung Won; Segall, Paul Pure and Applied Geophysics, Vol. 174, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-017-1567-1	journal	May 2017
Seal integrity and feasibility of CO2 sequestration in the Teapot Dome EOR pilot: geomechanical site characterization Chiaramonte, Laura; Zoback, Mark D.; Friedmann, Julio Environmental Geology, Vol. 54, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-0948-7	journal	July 2007
A comparative review of hydrologic issues involved in geologic storage of CO2 and injection disposal of liquid waste Tsang, Chin-Fu; Birkholzer, Jens; Rutqvist, Jonny Environmental Geology, Vol. 54, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-007-0949-6	journal	August 2007
The Geomechanics of CO2 Storage in Deep Sedimentary Formations Rutqvist, Jonny Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, Vol. 30, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-011-9491-0	journal	January 2012
Monitoring above-zone temperature variations associated with CO2 and brine leakage from a storage aquifer Zeidouni, Mehdi; Nicot, Jean-Philippe; Hovorka, Susan D. Environmental Earth Sciences, Vol. 72, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3077-0	journal	February 2014
Fractures, faults, and hydrocarbon entrapment, migration and flow Aydin, Atilla Marine and Petroleum Geology, Vol. 17, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0264-8172(00)00020-9	journal	August 2000
Induced Seismicity; Observations, Risks and Mitigation Measures at CO2 Storage Sites Nicol, Andy; Gerstenberger, Matt; Bromley, Chris Energy Procedia, Vol. 37 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2013.06.384	journal	January 2013
The 2016 Mw5.1 Fairview, Oklahoma earthquakes: Evidence for long-range poroelastic triggering at >40 km from fluid disposal wells Goebel, T. H. W.; Weingarten, M.; Chen, X. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 472 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2017.05.011	journal	August 2017
Impact-driven pressure management via targeted brine extraction—Conceptual studies of CO2 storage in saline formations Birkholzer, Jens T.; Cihan, Abdullah; Zhou, Quanlin International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Vol. 7 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2012.01.001	journal	March 2012
Induced seismicity within geological carbon sequestration projects: Maximum earthquake magnitude and leakage potential from undetected faults Mazzoldi, Alberto; Rinaldi, Antonio P.; Borgia, Andrea International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Vol. 10 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2012.07.012	journal	September 2012
Passive injection: A strategy for mitigating reservoir pressurization, induced seismicity and brine migration in geologic CO 2 storage Dempsey, David; Kelkar, Sharad; Pawar, Rajesh International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Vol. 28 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2014.06.002	journal	September 2014
Microseismic data acquisition, processing, and event characterization at the Illinois Basin – Decatur Project Will, Robert; El-Kaseeh, George; Jaques, Paul International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Vol. 54 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2016.01.007	journal	November 2016
Assessing induced seismicity risk at CO2 storage projects: Recent progress and remaining challenges White, Joshua A.; Foxall, William International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Vol. 49 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2016.03.021	journal	June 2016
Progress in monitoring strategies for risk reduction in geologic CO2 storage Harbert, William; Daley, Thomas M.; Bromhal, Grant International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Vol. 51 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2016.05.007	journal	August 2016
Application of a pore-scale reactive transport model to a natural analog for reaction-induced pore alterations Yoon, Hongkyu; Major, Jonathan; Dewers, Thomas Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Vol. 155 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2017.01.002	journal	July 2017
Controlled CO ₂ injection into heterogeneous geologic formations for improved solubility and residual trapping : CONTROLLED CO Shamshiri, Hossein; Jafarpour, Behnam Water Resources Research, Vol. 48, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1029/2011WR010455	journal	February 2012
3-D Modeling of Induced Seismicity Along Multiple Faults: Magnitude, Rate, and Location in a Poroelasticity System Chang, K. W.; Yoon, H. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 123, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JB016446	journal	November 2018
Effect of Fault Architecture and Permeability Evolution on Response to Fluid Injection Yehya, Alissar; Yang, Zhuo; Rice, James R. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 123, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JB016550	journal	November 2018
Earthquake Swarms Triggered by Groundwater Extraction Near the Dead Sea Fault Wetzler, Nadav; Shalev, Eyal; Göbel, Thomas Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 46, Issue 14 https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL083491	journal	July 2019
Hydromechanical Controls on the Spatiotemporal Patterns of Injection‐Induced Seismicity in Different Fault Architecture: Implication for 2013–2014 Azle Earthquakes Chang, K. W.; Yoon, H. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 125, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JB020402	journal	August 2020
Mitigating Injection‐Induced Seismicity Along Basement Faults by Extraction: Application to 2016–2018 Pohang Earthquakes Chang, K. W.; Yoon, H. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 126, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JB021486	journal	April 2021
Geological carbon storage Bickle, Mike J. Nature Geoscience, Vol. 2, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo687	journal	December 2009
Operational and geological controls of coupled poroelastic stressing and pore-pressure accumulation along faults: Induced earthquakes in Pohang, South Korea Chang, Kyung Won; Yoon, Hongkyu; Kim, YoungHee Scientific Reports, Vol. 10, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-58881-z	journal	February 2020
Permeability-controlled migration of induced seismicity to deeper depths near Venus in North Texas Chang, Kyung Won; Yoon, Hongkyu Scientific Reports, Vol. 12, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-05242-7	journal	January 2022
Earthquake triggering and large-scale geologic storage of carbon dioxide Zoback, M. D.; Gorelick, S. M. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 109, Issue 26 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1202473109	journal	June 2012
Pore-pressure diffusion, enhanced by poroelastic stresses, controls induced seismicity in Oklahoma Zhai, Guang; Shirzaei, Manoochehr; Manga, Michael Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 116, Issue 33 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1819225116	journal	July 2019
Injection-Induced Earthquakes Ellsworth, W. L. Science, Vol. 341, Issue 6142 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1225942	journal	July 2013
The spatial footprint of injection wells in a global compilation of induced earthquake sequences Goebel, Thomas H. W.; Brodsky, Emily E. Science, Vol. 361, Issue 6405 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aat5449	journal	August 2018
Man-made versus natural CO2 leakage: A 400 k.y. history of an analogue for engineered geological storage of CO2 Burnside, Neil M.; Shipton, Zoe K.; Dockrill, Ben Geology, Vol. 41, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1130/g33738.1	journal	April 2013
The GEM Global Active Faults Database Styron, Richard; Pagani, Marco Earthquake Spectra, Vol. 36, Issue 1_suppl https://doi.org/10.1177/8755293020944182	journal	August 2020
A scalable deep learning platform for identifying geologic features from seismic attributes Huang, Lei; Dong, Xishuang; Clee, T. Edward The Leading Edge, Vol. 36, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1190/tle36030249.1	journal	March 2017
Monitoring the fate of injected CO ₂ using geodetic techniques Vasco, Donald W.; Dixon, Timothy H.; Ferretti, Alessandro The Leading Edge, Vol. 39, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1190/tle39010029.1	journal	January 2020
Analysis of Microseismicity and Reactivated Fault Size to Assess the Potential for Felt Events by CO2 Injection in the Illinois Basin Williams-Stroud, Sherilyn; Bauer, Robert; Leetaru, Hannes Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, Vol. 110, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1785/0120200112	journal	August 2020
Surface Monitoring of Microseismicity at the Decatur, Illinois, CO ₂ Sequestration Demonstration Site Kaven, J. O.; Hickman, S. H.; McGarr, A. F. Seismological Research Letters, Vol. 86, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1785/0220150062	journal	June 2015
Earthquakes Induced by the Stimulation of an Enhanced Geothermal System below Basel (Switzerland) Deichmann, N.; Giardini, D. Seismological Research Letters, Vol. 80, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1785/gssrl.80.5.784	journal	September 2009
Induced seismicity in geologic carbon storage Vilarrasa, Víctor; Carrera, Jesus; Olivella, Sebastià Solid Earth, Vol. 10, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-871-2019	journal	January 2019

Similar Records

Coupled Hydromechanical Modeling of Induced Seismicity From CO₂ Injection in the Illinois Basin

Journal Article · Sun Apr 17 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth · OSTI ID:1880987

Operational and geological controls of coupled poroelastic stressing and pore-pressure accumulation along faults: Induced earthquakes in Pohang, South Korea

Journal Article · Thu Feb 06 23:00:00 EST 2020 · Scientific Reports · OSTI ID:1670768

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
basement fault
carbon sequestration
induced seismicity
multiphase flow
poroelastic coupling

Potential Seismicity Along Basement Faults Induced by Geological Carbon Sequestration

Citation Formats

References (42)

Similar Records

Related Subjects