Progressive inversion for hypocenters andPwave andSwave velocity structure: Application to the Geysers, California, Geothermal Field

1991 ◽  
Vol 96 (B4) ◽  
pp. 6223-6236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel R. H. O'Connell ◽  
Lane R. Johnson
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taghi Shirzad ◽  
Stanisław Lasocki ◽  
Beata Orlecka‐Sikora

<p>While the classical tomography approaches, e.g., P-, S-, and/or surface-wave traveltime tomography, provide a general structure of the Earth’s interior, new developments in signal processing of interferometry approaches are needed to obtain a high-resolution velocity structure. If the number of earthquakes is adequate, the virtual seismometer method may be a solution in regions with sparse instrumental coverage. Theoretically, the empirical Green’s functions between a pair of events can be retrieved using earthquake’s cross-correlations. Here, an event interferometry approach was used on a very small scale around Prati-9 and Prati-29 injection wells in the NW of The Geysers Geothermal Field. The study region experienced intense injection-induced seismicity. We selected all events with location uncertainties less than 50 m in a cuboid of the horizontal side ~1 × ~2 km and the vertical edge at depths between 1.0 and 2.0 km. The cuboid was cut into 100m thick layers, and we applied to events from each layer criteria enabling a quasi 2D approach. After calculating the Rayleigh wave group velocity dispersion curves, further processing was performed at a 0.2s period, selected based on the sensitivity kernel criterion. Finally, the relative velocity model of each layer at the depth z was obtained by subtracting the velocity model of the just overlying layer (at the depth z-100m) from the model of this layer. Our resultant velocity model in the study area indicated four low-velocity anomalies. The first one can be linked by the two layers interface topography variation at the top of the cuboid (depth 1000 m). The secondary faults can cause the second low-velocity anomaly. The other two anomalies look to result from fluid injection into Prati-9 and Prati-29 wells. <br>This work was supported under the S4CE: "Science for Clean Energy" project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, under grant agreement No 764810.</p>


Geophysics ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. L. Majer ◽  
T. V. McEvilly ◽  
F. S. Eastwood ◽  
L. R. Myer

In a pilot vertical seismic profiling study, P-wave and cross‐polarized S-wave vibrators were used to investigate the potential utility of shear‐wave anisotropy measurements in characterizing a fractured rock mass. The caprock at The Geysers geothermal field was found to exhibit about an 11 percent velocity variation between SH-waves and SV-waves generated by rotating the S-wave vibrator orientation to two orthogonal polarizations for each survey level in the well. The effect is generally consistent with the equivalent anisotropy expected from the known fracture geometry.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Staszek ◽  
Ł. Rudziński ◽  
G. Kwiatek

AbstractMultiplet analysis is based on the identification of seismic events with very similar waveforms which are used then to enhance seismological analysis e.g. by precise relocation of sources. In underground fluid injection conditions, it is a tool frequently used for imaging of subsurface fracture system. We identify over 150 repeatedly activated seismic sources within seismicity cluster induced by fluid injection in NW part of The Geysers geothermal field (California). Majority of multiple events (ME) occur along N–S oriented planar structure which we interpret as a fault plane. Remaining ME are distributed along structures interpreted as fractures, forming together a system of interconnected cracks enabling fluid migration. Temporal analysis reveals that during periods of relatively low fluid injection the proportion of ME to non-multiple events is higher than during periods of high injection. Moreover, ME which occur within the fault differ in activity rate and source properties from ME designating the fractures and non-multiple events. In this study we utilize observed differences between ME occurring within various structures and non-multiple events to describe hydraulic conditions within the reservoir. We show that spatial and temporal analysis of multiplets can be used for identification and characterization of dominant fluid migration paths.


2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 341-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beata Orlecka-Sikora ◽  
Szymon Cielesta ◽  
Stanisław Lasocki

1995 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 501-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Evans ◽  
Bruce R. Julian ◽  
G. R. Foulger ◽  
Alwyn Ross

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