ALBERT

Beschreibung: The occurrence of induced seismic events during hydraulic fracturing of reservoirs to enhance permeability is an unavoidable process. Due to the increased public concern with respect to the risks imposed by induced seismicity, however, the development of a soft stimulation method is needed creating higher permeability with less induced seismicity. We use a discrete element model of naturally fractured rock with pore fluid flow algorithm in order to analyse two scenarios of high-pressure fluid injection (hydraulic fracturing) at depth and associated induced seismicity. The ratio of pumped-in energy to released seismic energy is in agreement with field data. Our results suggest that cyclic reservoir treatment is a safer alternative to conventional hydraulic fracture stimulation as both, the total number of induced events as well as the occurrence of larger magnitude events are lowered. This work is motivated by results of laboratory triaxial indenter tests on granite rock samples where continuous loading leads to a wide fracture process zone while cyclic treatment with frequent starting and stopping of loading fatigues the rock, resulting in smaller damage volume and more persistent fracture growth.

Beschreibung: In this study we utilize regional and teleseismic earthquake moment tensor solutions in order to infer the contemporary crustal stress in the Greek region. We focus on crustal earthquakes and select only solutions with good waveform fits and well-resolved nodal planes. A dataset of 1614 focal mechanisms is used as input to a regional-scale damped stress inversion algorithm over a grid whose node spacing is 0.35 degrees. Several resolution and sensitivity tests are performed in order to ascertain the robustness of our results. Our findings show that for most of the Greek region the largest principal stress σ 1 is vertically oriented and that the minimum principal stress axis σ 3 are sub-horizontal with a predominant N-S orientation. In the SW Peloponnese the orientation of σ 3 axes rotates clockwise and in SE Aegean anticlockwise. These results are in agreement with the generally accepted model that slab rollback combined with gravitational spreading of the Aegean lithosphere are the main causes of the extension. Transitions between different faulting types in NW Greece or in the Aegean occur within narrow zones in the order of tens of kilometers. A visual comparison of the principal horizontal stress axes and the principal strain axes derived from GPS observations shows good agreement, suggesting that the crust in the Greek region behaves largely in an elastic manner.

Beschreibung: A three-dimensional finite element model of the Eastern Mediterranean was developed in order to investigate the tectonic processes and model parameters which are mainly responsible for the observed surface deformation. The main faults are modelled as surfaces with Coulomb friction. Boundary conditions are slab pull at the Hellenic arc and the displacement for the African and Arabian plate taken from the rigid plate model NUVEL-1A. The rheology is elasto-visco-plastic. By varying the model properties a set of parameters can be determined which leads to a minimal mean deviation comparing the velocity field of the models with the space geodetic observations at 42 sites from global positioning system (GPS) and satellite laser ranging (SLR). The best result was attained with a low friction coefficient between 0.2 and 0.45 along the subduction zones and the main faults, a slab pull stress of 150 MPa and different cohesive strengths C in areas with compressional (C = 460 MPa) and extensional tectonic regimes (C = 40 MPa). The velocity field of the models shows the overall pattern of a westward escape of Anatolia and the SSW movement of the Aegean region.

Beschreibung: Tectonic stress is one of the fundamental data sets in Earth sciences comparable with topography, gravity, heat flow and others. The importance of stress observations for both academic research (e.g. geodynamics, plate tectonics) and applied sciences (e.g. hydrocarbon production, civil engineering) proves the necessity of a project like the World Stress Map for compiling and making available stress data on a global scale. The World Stress Map project offers not only free access to this global database via the Internet, but also continues in its effort to expand and improve the database, to develop new quality criteria, and to initiate topical research projects. In this paper we present (a) the new release of the World Stress Map, (b) expanded quality ranking schemes for borehole breakouts and geological indicators, (c) new stress indicators (drilling-induced fractures, borehole slotter data) and their quality ranking schemes, and (d) examples for the application of tectonic stress data.

Beschreibung: The stress field at depth is a relevant parameter for the design of subsurface constructions and reservoir management. Yet the distortion of the regional stress field due to local-scale features such as sedimentary and tectonic structures or topography is often poorly constrained. We conduct a stress sensitivity analysis using 3-D numerical geomechanical modelling with an elasto-plastic material law to explore the impact of such site-specific features on the stress field in a sedimentary sequence of the Swiss Alpine foreland. The model's dimensions are 14 × 14 × 3 km3 and it contains 10 units with different mechanical properties, intersected by two regional fault zones. An initial stress state is established involving a semi-empirical relationship between the ratio of horizontal to vertical stress and the overconsolidation ratio of argillaceous sediments. The model results indicate that local topography can affect the stress field significantly to depths greater than the relief contrasts at the surface, especially in conjunction with horizontal tectonic loading. The complexity and frictional properties of faults are also relevant. The greatest variability of the stress field arises across the different sedimentary units. Stress magnitudes and stress anisotropy are much larger in stiffer formations such as massive limestones than in softer argillaceous formations. The stiffer formations essentially carry the load of the far-field forces and are therefore more sensitive to changes of the boundary conditions. This general characteristic of stress distribution in the stiff and soft formations is broadly maintained also with progressive loading towards the plastic limit. The stress field in argillaceous sediments within a stack of formations with strongly contrasting mechanical properties like in the Alpine foreland appears to be relatively insensitive to changes in the tectonic boundary conditions and is largely controlled by the maximum stiffness contrast with respect to the load-bearing formations.

Beschreibung: The stress field at depth is a relevant parameter for the design of subsurface constructions and reservoir management. Yet the distortion of the regional stress field due to local-scale features such as sedimentary and tectonic structures or topography is often poorly constrained. We conduct a stress sensitivity analysis using 3-D numerical geomechanical modelling with an elasto-plastic material law to explore the impact of such site specific features on the stress field in a sedimentary sequence of the Swiss Alpine foreland. The model's dimensions are 14 km × 14 km × 3 km and it contains ten units with different mechanical properties, intersected by two regional fault zones. An initial stress state is established involving a semi-empirical relationship between the ratio of horizontal to vertical stress and the overconsolidation ratio of argillaceous sediments. The model results indicate that local topography can affect the stress field significantly to depths greater than the relief contrasts at the surface, especially in conjunction with horizontal tectonic loading. The complexity and frictional properties of faults are also relevant. The greatest variability of the stress field arises across the different sedimentary units. Stress magnitudes and stress anisotropy are much larger in stiffer formations such as massive limestones than in softer argillaceous formations. The stiffer formations essentially carry the load of the far-field forces and are therefore more sensitive to changes of the boundary conditions. This general characteristic of stress distribution in the stiff and soft formations is broadly maintained also with progressive loading towards the plastic limit. The stress field in argillaceous sediments within a stack of formations with strongly contrasting mechanical properties like in the Alpine foreland appears to be relatively insensitive to changes in the tectonic boundary conditions and is largely controlled by the maximum stiffness contrast with respect to the load-bearing formations.

Beschreibung: In the context of examining the potential usage of safe and sustainable geothermal energy in the Alberta Basin, whether in deep sediments or crystalline rock, the understanding of the in situ stress state is crucial. It is a key challenge to estimate the 3-D stress state at an arbitrarily chosen point in the crust, based on sparsely distributed in situ stress data. To address this challenge, we present a large-scale 3-D geomechanical–numerical model (700 km × 1200 km × 80 km) from a large portion of the Alberta Basin, to provide a 3-D continuous quantification of the contemporary stress orientations and stress magnitudes. To calibrate the model, we use a large database of in situ stress orientation (321 SHmax) as well as stress magnitude data (981 SV, 1720 Shmin and 2 (+11) SHmax) from the Alberta Basin. To find the best-fit model, we vary the material properties and primarily the displacement boundary conditions of the model. This study focusses in detail on the statistical calibration procedure, because of the large amount of available data, the diversity of data types, and the importance of the order of data tests. The best-fit model provides the total 3-D stress tensor for nearly the whole Alberta Basin, and allows estimation of stress orientation and stress magnitudes in advance of any well. First-order implications for the well design and configuration of enhanced geothermal systems are revealed. Systematic deviations of the modelled stress from the in situ data are found for stress orientations in the Peace River and the Bow Island Arch as well as for leak-off test magnitudes.