Fault Weakening During Short Seismic Slip Pulse Experiments: The Role of Pressurized Water and Implications for Induced Earthquakes in the Groningen Gas Field

High-velocity friction experiments on simulated fault gouges sheared at high normal stress and to low displacement are particularly relevant to induced seismicity, which is becoming an important topic in fault mechanics. Using a new, improved set-up, which allows simulation of fault stress and fluid pressure ((Formula presented.)) conditions...

Reliability based code making for seismic assessment under gas extraction

Until recently earthquakes were not taken into account in the Dutch Building Decree and other Dutch building regulations. Although in 1992, an earthquake happened in Roermond with a magnitude of 5.8 on the Richter scale which damaged buildings, this was not seen by the law makers as an argument for the introduction of regulations for earthquake...

Categorizing seismic risk for the onshore gas fields in the Netherlands

In recent years public concern about earthquakes induced by gas production has increased in the Netherlands. This has mainly been caused by numerous seismic events related to gas depletion in the Groningen gas field, the largest gas field in Western Europe. Induced seismicity has also been observed in 31 smaller gas fields located on land ...

On the Importance of Thermo-elastic Stressing in Injection-Induced Earthquakes

The sustainability of geothermal fields is based on a paradox. On one side, fractures are targeted on heat-flow improvement, and on the other side, the same fractures are avoided because of induced seismicity risk. In this context, we developed analytical approaches for estimating (1) thermo–poro-elastic stresses in a fractured geothermal system...

Reliability Based assessment of buildings under earthquakes due to gas extraction

In the northern part of the Netherlands over de last decades shallow earthquakes are induced due to large scale gas extraction from the Groningen gas field. Earthquakes occur due to the compaction of the reservoir rock, which leads to subsidence at surface and strain build-up in the reservoir rock and existing faults. The induced earthquakes...