Geosc598B: Geomechanics Seminar Fall 2015

2 Credits, Fall 2015

Prof. C. Marone and D. Elsworth
Penn. State University

Time: Monday 3:15-4:45 Room 337 Deike Building


This is a reading seminar focused on current and foundational research contributions in Geomechanics, including ongoing work by current students. Topics will include selections from: Fault mechanics, fluid flow, poromechanics, nano-porosity connectivity, shale geomechanics, rheology, time-dependence of deformation, reservoir geomechanics, geothermal energy production, friction laws, strain localization, stability conditions for deformation, slow earthquakes and the spectrum of tectonic fault slip behaviors.

Requirements
Participants will read assigned material, participate in choosing topics, lead discussion, and present results from their ongoing research. To facilitate discussion all participants are required to write a short summary (1 or 2 paragraphs) or critique of discussion papers. Please bring two copies of your summary to pass around during our discussion. Participants will be selected at random to lead discussions.

Discussion Papers:
Week 1 (4 Sep. 2015):
Walsh and Zoback, 2015
Press Release for Walsh and Zoback, 2015
Weingarten al., 2015
New Yorker Article of interest for the OK earthquakes

Week 2: (14 Sep. 2015)
Schoenball et al.: Coso Geothermal
Ellsworth: Injection-Induced Earthquakes

Week 3: (21 Sep. 2015)
Flewelling et al.
Zoback et al.

Week 4: (28 Sep. 2015)
Van der Elst et al., 2013
Benz et al., 2015

Week 5: (5 Oct. 2015)
Schmittbuhl et al., 2014; Induced seismicity in EGS reservoir: the creep route
van der Elst and Brodsky 2010; Connecting near-field and far-field earthquake triggering to dynamic strain

Week 6: (12 Oct. 2015)
Segall and Lu, 2015; Injection-induced seismicity: Poroelastic and earthquake nucleation effects
Scholz, 2015; On the stress dependence of the earthquake b value

Week 7: (19 Oct. 2015)
Research summary by Kerry Ryan
Sweet et al., GGG, 2014; A family of repeating low-frequency earthquakes at the downdip edge of tremor and slip

Week 9: (26 Oct. 2015)
Vilarrasa and Carrera, PNAS, 2015; Geologic carbon storage is unlikely to trigger large earthquakes and reactivate faults through which CO2 could leak
Rubinstein and Mahani 2015; Myths and Facts on Wastewater Injection, Hydraulic Fracturing, Enhanced Oil Recovery, and Induced Seismicity

Week 10: (2 Nov. 2015)
Gischig et al., GRL, 2015: Rupture propagation behavior and the largest possible earthquake induced by fluid injection into deep reservoirs
McGarr 2014; Maximum magnitude earthquakes induced by fluid injection
McGarr et al, 2015; Coping with earthquakes induced by fluid injection

Week 11: (9 Nov. 2015)
Research summary by Brandon Schwartz
Savage, Nat. Geosc. 2015; Taking it slow: friction of the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake fault (perspective for Ikari et al., 2015)
Ikari et al., Nat. Geosc. 2015; Spectrum of slip behaviour in Tohoku fault zone samples at plate tectonic slip rates

Week 12: (16 Nov. 2015)
Peng, Shelly and Ellsworth, GRL 2015: Delayed dynamic triggering of deep tremor along the Parkfield-Cholame section of the San Andreas Fault following the 2014 M6.0 South Napa earthquake
Ide et al, Nature 2007: A scaling law for slow earthquakes

Week 13: (30 Nov. 2015)
Research summary by Hiroyuki Honda
Research summary by Sheng Zhi

Week 14: (7 Dec. 2015)
Research summary by Abby Kenigsberg
Research summary by Ben Madara

Possible papers for future weeks
Ferno et al., GRL 2015: Flow visualization of CO2 in tight shale formations at reservoir conditions
Peng and Gomberg 2010; An integrated perspective of the continuum between earthquakes and slow-slip phenomena
Brodsky and Van der Elst 2014; The Uses of Dynamic Earthquake Triggering
McNamara et al, GRL, 2015; Reactivated faulting near Cushing Oklahoma: increased potential for a triggered earthquake in an area of United States strategic infrastructure
McGarr et al, 2015; Coping with earthquakes induced by fluid injection
Karner et al., 2003, Subcritical compaction and yielding of granular quartz sand
Brodsky et al., JGR, 2003; A mechanism for sustained groundwater pressure changes induced by distant earthquakes

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