Seismic monitoring at The Geysers

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:7369669

Majer, E L; Romero, A; Vasco, D; Kirkpatrick, A; Peterson, J E ^[1]; Zucca, J J; Hutchings, L J; Kasameyer, P W ^[2]

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1. Lawrence Berkeley Lab., Berkeley, CA (United States)
2. Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)

During the last several years Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have been working with industry partners at The Geysers geothermal field to evaluate and develop methods for applying the results of microearthquake (MEQ) monitoring. It is a well known fact that seismicity at The Geysers is a common occurrence, however, there have been many studies and papers written on the origin and significance of the seismicity. The attitude toward MEQ data ranges from being nothing more than a curious artifact of the production activities, to being a critical tool in evaluating the reservoir performance. The purpose of the work undertaken by LBL and LLNL is to evaluate the utility, as well as the methods and procedures used in MEQ monitoring, recommend the most cost effective implementation of the methods, and if possible link physical processes and parameters to the generation of MEQ activity. One of the most promising uses of MEQ monitoring that has been proposed is monitoring the flow of fluids during injection activities. Another proposed use has been to define active fault and fracture patterns that could be possible targets for in-fill drilling. A more recent use has been to use the microearthquakes as sources to image the physical properties within the reservoir area. The success of all of these proposed uses, as well as any other, will depend upon the resolution obtained and the understanding of the physical and chemical processes causing the MEQ activity. The use, or misuse, of MEQ data is critically dependent upon the quality and resolution of the data. In this sense The Geysers offers an excellent and unique test case due to the diversity of the studies carried out at The Geysers and the supporting geological, geophysical, hydrological, and geochemical information potentially available.

• OSTI ID: 7369669
• Report Number(s): CONF-930484--; ON: DE94001714; CNN: W-7405-ENG-48
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
150301* -- Geothermal Exploration & Exploration Technology-- Geophysical Techniques & Surveys
EARTHQUAKES
ENERGY
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUID INJECTION
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
GEOTHERMAL FIELDS
GEYSERS GEOTHERMAL FIELD
Geothermal Legacy
MICROEARTHQUAKES
MONITORING
ORIGIN
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
SEISMIC EVENTS
SEISMICITY