eprintid: 1484 rev_number: 36 eprint_status: archive userid: 2 dir: disk0/00/00/14/84 datestamp: 2015-02-10 13:20:20 lastmod: 2017-02-08 12:21:40 status_changed: 2015-04-27 12:10:59 type: article metadata_visibility: show creators_name: Phillips, Scott creators_name: Rutledge, James T. creators_name: House, Leight creators_name: Fehler, Michael C. creators_id: wsp@lanl.gov creators_id: jrutledge@lanl.gov creators_id: hous@lanl.gov creators_id: fehler@lanl.gov corp_creators: Seismic Research Center, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, USA. title: Induced Microearthquake Patterns in Hydrocarbon and Geothermal Reservoirs: Six Case Studies ispublished: pub subjects: MP2_3 subjects: RF1 subjects: RU2_1 subjects: RU2_2 subjects: RU2_3 subjects: RU3_1 subjects: RU4_1 subjects: SG subjects: SHU divisions: EPOS-P divisions: IP4 divisions: SHEER full_text_status: none keywords: Induced microseismicity, geothermal, oil and gas, fluid flow, location. abstract: The injection or production of fluids can induce microseismic events in hydrocarbon and geothermal reservoirs. By deploying sensors downhole, data sets have been collected that consist of a few hundred to well over 10,000 induced events. We find that most induced events cluster into well-defined geometrical patterns. In many cases, we must apply high-precision, relative location techniques to observe these patterns. At three sedimentary sites, thin horizontal strands of activity are commonly found within the location patterns. We believe this reflects fracture containment between stratigraphic layers of differing mechanical properties or states of stress. At a massive carbonate and two crystalline sites, combinations of linear and planar features indicate networks of intersecting fractures and allow us to infer positions of aseismic fractures through their influence on the location patterns. In addition, the fine-scale seismicity patterns often evolve systematically with time. At sedimentary sites, migration of seismicity toward the injection point has been observed and may result from slip-induced stress along fractures that initially have little resolved shear. In such cases, triggering events may be critical to generate high levels of seismic activity. At one crystalline site, the early occurrence of linear features that traverse planes of activity indicate permeable zones and possible flow paths within fractures. We hope the continued development of microseismic techniques and refinement of conceptual models will further increase our understanding of fluid behavior and lead to improved resource management in fractured reservoirs. date: 2002-01 date_type: published publication: Pure and Applied Geophysics volume: 159 number: 1-3 publisher: Springer Verlag pagerange: 345-369 id_number: doi:10.1007/PL00001256 refereed: TRUE issn: 0033-4553 official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/PL00001256 access_IS-EPOS: limited owner: Publisher citation: Phillips, Scott and Rutledge, James T. and House, Leight and Fehler, Michael C. (2002) Induced Microearthquake Patterns in Hydrocarbon and Geothermal Reservoirs: Six Case Studies. Pure and Applied Geophysics, 159 (1-3). pp. 345-369. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00001256