TS1.4
Geomechanics – From field data to models and uncertainties

TS1.4

EDI
Geomechanics – From field data to models and uncertainties
Co-organized by EMRP1/ERE5
Convener: Moritz ZieglerECSECS | Co-conveners: Mojtaba RajabiECSECS, Cécile MassiotECSECS, Rajesh Goteti, Thomas Finkbeiner
Presentations
| Thu, 26 May, 13:20–14:50 (CEST)
 
Room K2

Presentations: Thu, 26 May | Room K2

Chairperson: Moritz Ziegler
13:20–13:21
Models
13:21–13:26
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EGU22-2742
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Highlight
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Virtual presentation
Julie Maury, Théophile Guillon, Hideo Aochi, Behrooz Bazargan, and André Burnol

On November 11th 2019, the Le Teil, France earthquake occurred in the vicinity of a quarry. Immediately, the question was raised about the potential triggering of this earthquake by the quarry. However, another potential triggering source is a hydraulic effect related to heavy rainfall (Burnol et al, 2021). That’s why it is important to quantify precisely the mechanical effect of mass withdrawal. Results from different studies (Ampuero et al, technical report CNRS, 2019; De Novellis et al, Comm. Earth Env., 2021) agrees to a Coulomb stress variation of 0.15 to 0.2 MPa. However, these studies are based on Boussinesq solution supposing a homogeneous half-space that maximize the effect of the quarry. Here we used the distinct element method code 3DEC @Itasca in 3D to take advantage of an improved geological model and assess the impact of discontinuities as well as lithology. Our results show the maximum Coulomb stress change of 0.27 MPa at 1.4 km depth, a value of the same order as what is obtained with Boussinesq solution. A comparison between the location of the earthquake (Delouis et al, 2021) and the maximum Coulomb stress is realized. The maximum value is located at the intersection of the Rouviere fault with another local fault highlighting the interaction between these structures. However, the in situ stress field is not well-known, fault parameters are difficult to assess and there is some uncertainty on the volume of extracted material in the 19th century estimated by the quarry owner. Additionally, the presence of marl in the Hauterivian layer suggests it could have an elasto-plastic behavior. A parametric study has been realized to assess the effect on Coulomb stress change of these uncertainties taking plausible values for each parameter. We show that the uncertainty associated with our calculations affect the results within a range of less than 10%.

How to cite: Maury, J., Guillon, T., Aochi, H., Bazargan, B., and Burnol, A.: Assessing the effect of mass withdrawal from a surface quarry on the Mw4.9 Le Teil (France) earthquake triggering, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-2742, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-2742, 2022.

13:26–13:31
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EGU22-11827
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On-site presentation
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Henriette Sudhaus, Alison Larissa Seidel, and Noemi Schulze-Glanert

In nation-wide radar satellite time series data of Germany, a linear subsidence motion of several kilometer spatial wavelength shows up south-east of Kiel, northern Germany. The center region of this signal, showing line-of-sight displacement velocities of about 2 mm/a, coincides with the facilities of a gas storage site managing two in-service and one out-of-service caverns in the salt dome beneath. The three caverns have been water-drilled only a few hundred meters apart in 1971, 1996 and 2014 into a large halite salt dome, which has risen up there to depths of around 1000 m. Their sizes range within a couple of 100.000 m³. Above the salt body thick deposits of mainly chalk, silk and claystone below layers of clays, silts, sands and glacial marls in the upper 200 m form a relatively strong roof layer.

We hypothesize that despite a thick and competent cover layer, the long-term ductile behavior of halite, which evidently causes shrinking of the cavern volumes through time, results in the observed continuous surface subsidence across several square kilometers. We present an attempt to test the hypothesis by optimizing a simple kinematic model to fit the surface subsidence signal. Using equivalent body forces to represent an isotropic volume point source embedded in a viscoelastic host medium below a horizontally layered elastic roof medium, we estimate the horizontal position of a single cavern, its depth and the corresponding volume change at the cavern. The medium properties at the cavern sites are well known from borehole geophysical analyses, but likely vary strongly laterally. We use InSAR time series data from two ascending look directions and two descending.

Our results show that a cavern at about 1200 m depth and in very close proximity to above-ground facilities of the storage site can indeed be associated with the observed ground motion. The best-fit models pin the location to the known positions, also in depth. The estimated volume loss is slightly larger than 20.000 m³ per year and is in the same order of volume loss estimated from volume measurements inside the actual caverns.

The model approach we present, a single kinematic point source for three caverns and a one-dimensional medium model, is simple, the signal-to-noise ratio of the satellite data is rather small and furthermore there are considerable spatial gaps in the InSAR time series data in areas of agriculture and forests. However, with a computationally fast forward calculation of surface displacements we can afford to propagate data error statistics that account for spatially correlated errors to model parameter uncertainty estimates in a Bayesian way through model ensembles. We plan to add modeling errors of the medium to better grasp their potential influence on the volume loss estimations. The optimization code we use, Grond, is part of the seismological open-source software toolbox Pyrocko (pyrocko.org). The data is openly available at bodenbewegungsdienst.bgr.de.

How to cite: Sudhaus, H., Seidel, A. L., and Schulze-Glanert, N.: A kinematic model for observed surface subsidence above a salt cavern gas storage site in Northern Germany, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-11827, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-11827, 2022.

13:31–13:36
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EGU22-11830
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ECS
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On-site presentation
Thomas Niederhuber, Birgit Müller, Thomas Röckel, Mirian Kalabegishvili, Frank Schilling, and Bernd Aberle

The Enguri Dam (Georgia) is one of the highest arch dams in the world, located at Enguri river in the Greater Caucasus. A 15 km long pressure tunnel with a slope of 1.1 % connects the reservoir to the power station. The tunnel was initially flooded in 1978 and takes a flow rate of up to 450 m³/s. Annual water level changes in the reservoir reach 100 m and generate variable internal water pressure, which places a considerable and dynamic strain on the structure. Water losses of more than 10 m³/s required extensive rehabilitation work in 2021.

The pressure tunnel is lined by upper and lower concrete parts separated by longitudinal construction joints. During the rehabilitation in spring 2021, an approximately 40 m long section of a construction joint with a gaping fissure and several smaller cracks were located.

To explain why only one of the construction joints was leaking, we combined field observations with numerical modelling of the stress state around the pressure tunnel. To infer the regional tectonic stress field various stress indicators have been used like borehole observations (borehole televiewer data) in the field, hydraulic fracturing and earthquake focal mechanisms. These different methods provide mean values with standard deviations. This enabled the estimation of uncertainties in the model input data (field data).

Our approach is based on a static linear-elastic 2D model of the tunnel at km 13.7 within a limestone of homogeneous material properties. The orientation of the profile section is parallel to the regional maximum horizontal stress (SH), which corresponds to maximum principal stress in a thrust faulting regime. SV is the vertical stress. To account for uncertainties, the model was calculated for different stress state scenarios e.g. variation of SH/SV-ratio from 2 to 6 and internal pressure from 0 to 1.6 MPa.

The results show a symmetrical distribution of tensile and compressive stresses around the tunnel, with the axis of symmetry tilted by ca. 30° clockwise (in flow direction) for all scenarios. This is due to the high topography. Therefore, in some calculations, tangential tensile stresses are observed on the downslope side in the region of the construction joint, while compressive stresses are expected for the upslope construction joint.

Therefore, it can be concluded:

(A) the initial stress state is an important parameter for the positioning of underground installation like pressure tunnels especially in areas of high topography.

(B) geomechanical numerical modelling can help to design and dimension safe constructions.

These kinds of investigations can help to omit leakage which can lead to a reduction of the capacity of the power plant and to prolongate the integrity of the tunnel statics. Further investigations could consider the hydraulic situation of the karst rock in the surrounding of the tunnel.

How to cite: Niederhuber, T., Müller, B., Röckel, T., Kalabegishvili, M., Schilling, F., and Aberle, B.: Geomechanical explanation of the Enguri power tunnel leakage, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-11830, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-11830, 2022.

13:36–13:41
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EGU22-4738
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ECS
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On-site presentation
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Santiago Pena Clavijo, Thomas Finkbeiner, and Abdulkader M. Afifi

The Arabian Peninsula is part of a small tectonic plate that is characterized by active and appreciable deformations along its boundaries. Knowledge of the present-day in situ stress field in the Arabian plate and its variability is critical for earth science disciplines that require an understanding of geodynamic processes. In addition, it is essential for a range of practical applications that include the production of hydrocarbons and geothermal energy, mine safety, seismic hazard assessment, underground storage of CO2, and more.

This project aims at modeling the stress orientation field in the Arabian Plate using advanced computational tools together with a plate velocity model. We built a three-layer 3D model of the Arabian crust using digital elevation, basement depth, and Moho depth maps. Based on these data, we built a 3D unstructured finite element mesh for the whole Arabian plate, including the offshore area, with finer resolution at critical locations. The latter is a novel approach to this work.  To capture the deformation caused by the water bodies in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea areas, we set a hydrostatic boundary condition as a function of bathymetry. Along the Zagros fold and thrust belt, we pinned the plate boundary to capture continental collision. Finally, the partial differential equation of force equilibrium (a linear static analysis) is solved using plate displacements (inferred from plate velocities) as boundary conditions for several displacement conditions.

The modeling results suggest NE-SW SHmax azimuths in northeastern Saudi Arabia and Kuwait while the Dead Sea transform areas show NW-SE to NNW-SSE azimuths, and the rest of the plate is characterized by predominant N-S SHmax azimuth. Due to pinned boundary conditions at the Zagros Mountains, SHmax azimuth changes from N-S at the Red Sea basin to NE-SW at the Zagros fold and thrust belt. We also notice significant stress concentrations in the transition from the Arabian shield to the sedimentary basins in the Eastern parts of the plate. This is in response to associated changes in rock properties. Hence, the simulated stress orientations corroborate the ongoing tectonic process and deepen our understanding of regional and local in situ stress variation drivers as well as the current elastic deformation in the Arabian plate.

How to cite: Pena Clavijo, S., Finkbeiner, T., and Afifi, A. M.: Modeling principal stress orientations in the Arabian plate using plate velocities, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-4738, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-4738, 2022.

13:41–13:46
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EGU22-9132
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Virtual presentation
Masaki Yoshida

A series of numerical simulations of mantle convection in 3D spherical-shell geometry were performed to evaluate the intraplate stress regime from numerically obtained velocity and stress fields. The intraplate stress regime was quantitatively classified into nine types by analyzing the principal deviatoric stress axes and the “stress ratio,” which is a continuous parameter accounting for the stress regimes. From the viewpoint of global geodynamics, this study analyzed the depth profile of the stress ratio across the entire depth of the mantle. The results demonstrated that the radial viscosity structure of the mantle interior strongly affected intraplate stress regimes, and the combination of increased viscosity in the lower mantle and the low-viscosity asthenosphere enhanced the pure strike-slip faulting regime within moving plates as indicated using visco-plastic rheology. The temporally averaged toroidal-poloidal ratio (T/P ratio) at the top surface of mantle convection with surface plate-like motion and the mantle’s viscosity stratification may be comparable to the observed T/P ratio of present-day and past Earth. The normal faulting (or strike-slip) regime with a strike-slip (or normal faulting) component, as well as the pure strike-slip faulting regime, were broadly found in the stable parts of the plate interiors. However, the significant dominance of these stress regimes was not observed in the depth profile of the toroidal-poloidal ratio as a remarkable peak magnitude near the top surface of the lithosphere. This result implies that the strike-slip component analyzed in this study does not directly relate to the formation of strike-slip faults that are infinitely narrow plate boundaries compared with the finite low-viscosity boundary obtained from a mantle convection model with visco-plastic rheology. Nonetheless, this first analysis of the stress ratio may contribute to an improved understanding of the intraplate stress reproduced by future numerical studies of mantle convection with further realistic conditions.

How to cite: Yoshida, M.: New analyses of the stress ratio and stress regime in the Earth’s lithosphere from numerical simulation models of global mantle convection, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-9132, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-9132, 2022.

13:46–13:51
Methods
13:51–14:01
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EGU22-11387
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ECS
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solicited
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Highlight
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Presentation form not yet defined
On the recoverability of geomechanical model complexities from surface deformation data above the Groningen gas field
(withdrawn)
Marius Wouters, Samantha S. R. Kim, Femke C. Vossepoel, and Rob Govers
14:01–14:06
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EGU22-799
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ECS
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On-site presentation
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Josephine Morgenroth, Usman T. Khan, and Matthew A. Perras

Machine learning algorithms (MLAs) are emerging as a powerful tool for forecasting complex and nuanced rock mass behaviour, particularly when large, multivariate datasets are available. In engineering practice, it is often difficult for geomechanical professionals to investigate all available data in detail, and simplifications are necessary to streamline the engineering design process. An MLA is capable of processing large volumes of data quickly and may uncover relationships that are not immediately evident when manually processing data. This research compares two algorithms developed for two mines representing end member behaviours of rock failure mechanisms: squeezing ground with high radial convergence, and spalling ground with high in situ stresses and seismicity. For the squeezing ground case study, a Convolutional Neural Network is used to forecast the yield of the tunnel liner elements using tunnel mapping images as the input. For the high stress case study, a Long Short Term Memory network is used to forecast the in-situ stresses that takes time series microseismic events and geomechanical properties as inputs. The two case studies are used to compare input data requirements and pre-processing techniques. Ensemble modelling techniques used to quantify MLA uncertainty for both case studies are presented. The development of the two MLAs is discussed in terms of their complexity, generalizability, performance evaluation, verification, and practical applications to underground rock engineering. Finally, best practices for MLA development are proposed based on the two case studies to ensure model interpretability and use in engineering applications.

How to cite: Morgenroth, J., Khan, U. T., and Perras, M. A.: Machine Learning and Underground Geomechanics – data needs, algorithm development, uncertainty, and engineering verification, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-799, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-799, 2022.

14:06–14:11
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EGU22-4574
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Presentation form not yet defined
Olga Hachay and Andrey Khachay

A review of works is presented in which new models of continuum mechanics generalizing the classical theories of elasticity are being intensively developed. These models are used to describe composite and statistically inhomogeneous media, new structural materials, as well as complexly constructed massifs in mine and ground conditions; and in the study of phenomena occurring in permafrost under the influence of heating processes. A characteristic feature of the theory of media with a hierarchical structure is the presence of explicit or implicit scale parameters, i.e. explicit or implicit non-locality of the theory. This work focuses on the study of the non-locality effects and internal degrees of freedom reflected in internal stresses that are not described by the classical theory of elasticity, but can be potential precursors of the development of a catastrophic process in a rock mass.

How to cite: Hachay, O. and Khachay, A.: Geophysical research and monitorind within a block-layered model with inclusions of hierrchical structure, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-4574, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-4574, 2022.

14:11–14:16
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EGU22-6453
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ECS
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Virtual presentation
Michał Kępiński, David Wiprut, and Pramit Basu

The Leak-Off Test (LOT) is one of the most common fracture pressure/Shmin calibration measurements conducted in wellbores. Well engineers rely on readings from LOTs to design safe drilling plans. The LOT results indicate the maximum mud weight or equivalent circulating density that can be used to drill the next hole section without causing fluid losses to the formation. Losses are one of the most expensive issues to mitigate in drilling operations. In more severe cases, losses may lead to subsequent drilling challenges such as hole collapse or kicks. Oftentimes, drillers choose not to pressurize the well up to the leak-off pressure due to the risk of weakening the rock beneath the casing shoe by creating a fracture. In these cases, a formation integrity test (FIT) is conducted. However, the FIT is inadequate for properly constraining the fracture gradient or for input to geomechanical models because it is possible for the FIT to terminate at pressures that are either above or below the far-field minimum stress.

Geomechanical modelling from several projects in Poland shows that insufficient LOT measurements introduce a wide range of fracture gradient uncertainty, complicating the analysis of optimal ECD values in narrow margin drilling sections. This leads to difficulty in determining the proper mud weight when a loss event occurs. Additionally, without reliable calibration of the minimum horizontal stress, the geomechanical model used to determine the lower bound of the mud window becomes more uncertain. An inadequately constrained mud window can result in further drilling complications such as tight hole, stuck pipe, poor hole condition, and compromised log quality.

How to cite: Kępiński, M., Wiprut, D., and Basu, P.: Can we afford fracture pressure uncertainty? Limit tests as a key calibration for geomechanical models, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-6453, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-6453, 2022.

14:16–14:20
Field data
14:20–14:25
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EGU22-5494
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ECS
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Highlight
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Virtual presentation
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Wenjing Wang and Douglas Schmitt

NE-SW stress compression in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin was discovered in the pioneering borehole breakout observations of Bell and Gough (1979). However, all of these and subsequent stress direction indicators are from the Phanerozoic sediment veneer, while the state of stress in the underlying craton remains unexplored. With the emergent demands on geothermal energy and wastewater and CO2 disposal, however, the state of stress in the cratons can no longer be safely ignored. To address this problem, we analyze various vintages of geophysical logs obtained from a serendipitous wellbore-of-opportunity drilled to 2.4 km in NE Alberta.  The profile of breakout orientations inferred from image and caliper logs exhibits a distinct rotation in breakout orientations changing from N100°E at 1650-2000m to N173°E at 2000-2210m and, finally, to N145°E at the bottom from 2210-2315m. The deepest measurement is consistent with the many observations in the overlying sediments. The heterogeneous breakout orientations at different depth intervals possibly indicate a heterogeneous in-situ stress field in the Precambrian craton. In addition, however, there is a strong correlation between the metamorphic textures and the breakout orientations suggesting that anisotropic strength may play an important role.  Using a recently developed algorithm we show that these observations can indeed be explained by foliation-controlled failure patterns in such anisotropic metamorphic rocks (Wang & Schmitt, accepted).  Models demonstrate that the observed breakout rotations can be produced under uniform stress orientations with failure slip planes controlled by the textured metamorphic rocks with anisotropic strength. This modeled stress field indicates that the stress field in the Canadian Shield where the far-field SH azimuth is at N50°E and the region is under normal/strike-slip faulting regime, is coupled with that in the overlying sedimentary basin.

How to cite: Wang, W. and Schmitt, D.: Stress characterization in the Canadian Shield: Complexity in stress rotation, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-5494, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-5494, 2022.

14:25–14:30
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EGU22-3272
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ECS
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Virtual presentation
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Zulfiqar Ali, Murat Karakus, Giang D. Nguyen, and Khalid Amrouch

Deformation rate analysis (DRA) and Acoustic Emission (AE) are popular methods of in-situ stress measurements from oriented cored rocks which take advantage of the rock stress memory also known as the Kaiser effect. These methods rely on the accurate measurement of a point of inflection in the characteristic DRA and AE curves, however, due to the complex geological stress history in rocks, locating point of inflection can be problematic. In order to better understand the stress memory experiments were performed on a combination of six different types of soft, and hard crystalline rocks including concrete with no stress history. The effect of loading modes, strain rates, and time delay were studied on preloaded rock specimens to investigate their influence on the stress memory. A fading effect was observed when the number of the cycles in the test were increased which led to the development of a new method of quantifying the preloads. Results show that the type of loading and the loading rate has little to no influence on the Kaiser effect, however, under faster loading rates the Kaiser effect is more distinct. Likewise, no time dependency was observed for time delays up to seven months.

How to cite: Ali, Z., Karakus, M., Nguyen, G. D., and Amrouch, K.: The stress memory in rocks: insight from the deformation rate analysis (DRA) and acoustic emission (AE), EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-3272, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-3272, 2022.

14:30–14:35
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EGU22-11879
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ECS
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On-site presentation
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Samantha S.R. Kim, Femke C. Vossepoel, Marius C. Wouters, Rob Govers, Wietske S. Brouwer, and Ramon F. Hanssen

Hydrocarbon production may cause subsidence as a result of the pressure reduction in the gas-producing layer and reservoir compaction. To analyze the process of subsidence and estimate reservoir parameters, we use a particle method to assimilate Interferometric synthetic-aperture radar (InSAR) observations of surface deformation with a conceptual model of reservoir. As example, we use an analytical model of the Groningen gas reservoir based on a geometry representing the compartmentalized structure of the subsurface at the reservoir depth.

The efficacy of the particle method becomes less when the degree of freedom is large compared to the ensemble size. This degree of freedom, in turn, varies because of spatial correlation in the observed field. The resolution of the InSAR data and the number of observations affect the performance of the particle method.

In this study, we quantify the information in a Sentinel-1 SAR dataset using the concept of Shannon entropy from information theory. We investigate how to best capture the level of detail in model resolved by the InSAR data while maximizing their information content for a data assimilation use. We show that incorrect representation of the existing correlations leads to weight collapse when the number of observation increases, unless the ensemble size growths. However, simulations of mutual information show that we could optimize data reduction by choosing an adequate mesh given the spatial correlation in the observed subsidence. Our approach provides a means to achieve a better information use from available InSAR data reducing weight collapse without additional computational cost.

How to cite: Kim, S. S. R., Vossepoel, F. C., Wouters, M. C., Govers, R., Brouwer, W. S., and Hanssen, R. F.: Optimizing the use of InSAR observations in data assimilation problems to estimate reservoir compaction, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-11879, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-11879, 2022.

14:35–14:40
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EGU22-648
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ECS
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Virtual presentation
bing li, Jinshui Huang, and Furen Xie

The Dayi seismic gap of the Longmenshan thrust belt is located between the ruptures of the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake and the 2013 Lushan Earthquake, with a length of about 40 ~ 60 km. So far, it has been still a heated debate on whether the Dayi seismic gap has the hazard of strong earthquakes in the near future. The occurrence of a strong earthquake in the seismic gap is closely related to the existence of high stress accumulation and the most direct method is to measure the borehole stress in the field. In order to find out the present stress state, in-situ stress measurements were carried out at the hanging wall and footwall of Dachuan-Shuangshi fault zone in Dachuan Town. The results showed that the hanging wall and footwall of Dachuan-Shuangshi fault zone in Dayi seismic gap are in a high-stress state. Based on seismicity parameter b-value, crustal velocity structure, GPS deformation monitoring data and temperature data, etc., it can be learned that there is a positive correlation coupling relationship between near surface shallow stress and deep stress. In this paper, a response model of shallow stress to deep locking was established. It was speculated that Dayi seismic gap has the potential hazard of strong earthquakes. This research result not only deepens the understanding of the relationship between stress and earthquake preparation, but also provides an effective scientific method for identifying seismic hazards in other active fault seismic gaps.

How to cite: li, B., Huang, J., and Xie, F.: In situ stress state and earthquake hazard assessment in Dayi seismic gap of the Longmenshan thrust belt, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-648, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-648, 2022.

14:40–14:45
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EGU22-8802
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ECS
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On-site presentation
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Effat Behboudi, David McNamara, and Ivan Lokmer

Quantifying the contemporary stress state of the Earth’s crust is critical for developing a geomechanical understanding of the behavior of brittle deformation (fractures and faults).In this study we characterize the shallow contemporary stress state of the active Hikurangi Subduction Margin (HSM), New Zealand, to better understand how it affects and responds to variable deformation and slip behavior documented along this plate boundary. The HSM is characterized by along-strike variations in megathrust slip behavior, ranging from shallow slow slip events (SSEs) and creep at the northern and central HSM to interseismic locking and stress accumulation in the southern HSM. We estimate the state of stress across the HSM utilizing rock strength estimates from empirical relationships, leak-off test data, wireline logs and borehole geology, and measurement of borehole wall failures such as borehole breakouts and drilling‐induced tensile fractures from eight boreholes. Stress magnitude constraints at depth intervals where BOs are observed indicate that the maximum principal stress (σ1) is horizontal along the shallow (<3 km) HSM and the stress state is predominantly strike-slip or contractional (barring localized areas where an extensional stress state is determined). Our results reveal a NE-SW (margin-parallel) SHmax orientation in the shallow central HSM, which rotates to a WNW- ESE/NW-SE (margin-perpendicular) SHmax orientation in the shallow southern HSM. The central NE-SW SHmax orientation is inconsistent with active, km-scale, NE-SW striking contractional faults observed across the central HSM. Considering both stress magnitude and orientation patterns at the central HSM, we suggest that long-term clockwise rotation of the Hikurangi forearc, over time, may transform motion on these km-scale central HSM faults from contractional dip-slip to a more contemporary strike/oblique-slip. The southern shallow WNW- ESE/NW-SE SHmax orientation is nearly perpendicular to focal-mechanisms derived NE-SW SHmax orientations within the subducting slab. This, combined with observed strike-slip and contractional faulting in the region and the NW-SE convergence direction, implies the overriding plate in the southern HSM is in a contractional stress state, potentially as deep as the plate interface, which is decoupled from that experienced in the subducting slab. Observed localized extensional stress states across the HSM may occur as a result of local extensions or reflect uncertainties in our estimations of SHmax magnitude which are sensitive to the UCS values used (unconstrained by laboratory testing). This UCS uncertainty and the potential errors it can introduce into a stress model highlights the importance of developing robust empirical relationships for UCS in regions where stress is a critical geological consideration for hazard and resource management.

How to cite: Behboudi, E., McNamara, D., and Lokmer, I.: Stress state and patterns at the upper plate of Hikurangi Subduction Margin, EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-8802, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-8802, 2022.

14:45–14:50