EGU2020-3446
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-3446
EGU General Assembly 2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Assessing fault criticality using seismic monitoring and fluid pressure analysis

Léa Perrochet, Giona Preisig, and Benoît Valley
Léa Perrochet et al.
  • University of Neuchâtel, Center for hydrogeology and geothermics, Switzerland (lea.perrochet@unine.ch)

The stability of a critically stressed fault depends on the surrounding stresses acting on it. Fluids, by reducing the effective normal stress, play a major role. It has been observed that in karstic regions, an increase in groundwater pressure following significant recharge (precipitations and/or seasonal snowmelt) can result in a fault re-activation, inducing microseismicity. This study combines the natural microseismicity and the groundwater level fluctuations observations to estimate the fault criticality. The research is carried out on two major strike-slip faults in the folded Jura in Switzerland – La Lance Fault and La Ferrière Fault – most likely critically stressed according to their position in the global stress-regime. Data acquisition mainly consists in hydrogeologic and seismic monitoring. The objectives are to have continuous discharge rates of the major karstic springs and to produce a seismic catalog for the area of interest. Combining both data sets will allow to determine relations between increasing spring discharge rates and low magnitude earthquakes and eventually to acquire a quantitative knowledge on what pressure change is affecting the fault’s stability. This knowledge will be used to develop a straighforward methodology to assess fault criticality.  In addition, the study of a possible time lag between aquifer response and fault activation, as well as back-analysis of seismic events can provide, respectively, important information about the deep-seated fluid circulation and the local stress-regime.

How to cite: Perrochet, L., Preisig, G., and Valley, B.: Assessing fault criticality using seismic monitoring and fluid pressure analysis , EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-3446, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-3446, 2020

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