Scientists from the German Research Center for Geosciences found that the roughness of pre-existing faults and the resulting stress heterogeneity in geological reservoirs play an important role in the occurrence of man-made earthquakes. The results of the research were published at: magazine PNAS.
The study combines the results of experiments on acoustically monitored fluid injection into faults performed in a geomechanical laboratory. The experiment simulated the injection of fluid into geological reservoirs.
“During our laboratory experiments, we found that rough and smooth fractures in rocks behave very differently. This is an exciting observation, as we witness progressive localization of microseismic activity indicating stress transfer during fluid injection,” the authors said.
Compared to smooth faults, slip on rough faults produces spatially localized clusters of acoustic emissions around high-stress asperities. This is where the frequency of induced local slips is higher, accompanied by a relatively large number of earthquakes.
The authors will continue to investigate the factors that lead to the occurrence of anthropogenic earthquakes. The goal of scientists is to control and avoid major earthquakes.
Russian scientist before to create The cause of man-made earthquakes.