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At least 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Fault Network Geometry Modulates Earthquake Source Spectra Across Scales

Earthquake source spectra provide unique insights into the earthquake rupture process. Motivated by previous research suggesting that complex fault geometries enhance high‐frequency seismic radiation, we study the influence of fault network geometry on earthquake source spectra using multiple independent observations. At regional scales, we examine correlations of stress drop measurements with surface fault trace misalignment in Southern California, Japan, and Central Italy. At a global scale, we examine correlations of moment‐rate function complexity of large earthquakes with focal mechanism variability, a proxy for local fault complexity. Despite significant scatter in the observations, we find overall consistent positive correlations. The concept that elastic interactions of discrete fault structures during the earthquake rupture process generates high‐frequency ground motions offers a coherent framework for interpreting our observations. These findings suggest that variations in fault complexity explain why some earthquakes produce stronger high‐frequency ground motions than others.

Lee, Jaeseok [Brown Univ., Providence, RI (United ↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Frequency-Domain-Based Algorithm for Detecting Microseismicity Using Dense Surface Seismic Arrays

We propose a new frequency-domain-based algorithm for detecting small-magnitude seismic events using dense surface seismic arrays. Our proposed method takes advantage of the high energy carried by S waves, and approximate known source locations, which are used to rotate the horizontal components to obtain the maximum amplitude. By surrounding the known source area with surface geophones, we achieve a favorable geometry for locating the detected seismic events with the backprojection method. To test our new detection method, we used a dense circular array, consisting of 151 5 Hz three-component geophones, over a 5 km aperture that was in operation at the Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) in southcentral Utah. We apply the new detection method during a small-scale test injection phase at FORGE, and during an aftershock sequence of an Mw 4.1 earthquake located ~30 km north of the geophone array, within the Black Rock volcanic field. We are able to detect and locate microseismic events (Mw<0) during injections, despite the high level of anthropogenic activity, and several aftershocks that are missing from the regional catalog. By comparing our method with known algorithms that operate both in the time and frequency domain, we show that our proposed method performs better in the case of the FORGE injection monitoring, and equally well for the off-array aftershock sequence. Our new method has the potential to improve microseismic event detections even in extremely noisy environments, and the proposed location scheme serves as a direct discriminant between true and false detections.

Geochemistry & Geophysics↗
DOE OSTI2023

Testing and Design of Discriminants for Local Seismic Events Recorded during the Redmond Salt Mine Monitoring Experiment

The Redmond Salt Mine (RSM) Monitoring Experiment in Utah was designed to record seismoacoustic data at distances less than 50 km for algorithm testing and development. During the experiment from October 2017 to July 2019, six broadband seismic stations were operating at a time, with three of them having fixed locations for the duration, whereas the three other stations were moved to different locations every one-and-half to two-and-half months. RSM operations consist of nighttime underground blasting several times per week. The RSM is located in proximity to a belt of active seismicity, allowing direct comparison of natural and anthropogenic sources. Using the recorded data set, we built 1373 events with local magnitude (M L ) of -2.4 and lower to 3.3. For 75 blasts (RMEs) from the Redmond Salt Mine and 206 tectonic earthquakes (EQs), both M L and the coda duration magnitude (MC) are well constrained. We used these events to test and design discriminants that separate the RMEs from the EQs and are effective at local distances. The discriminants consist of M L -M C , low-frequency Sg to high-frequency Sg, Pg/Sg phase-amplitude ratios, and Rg/Sg spectral amplitude ratios, as well as different combinations of two or more of these classifiers. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) of 0.92–1.0 for M L -M C , low-frequency Sg to high-frequency Sg, and Rg/Sg indicate that these discriminants are very effective. Conversely, the AUC of only 0.57 for Pg/Sg suggests that this discriminant is only slightly better than a random classifier. Among the effective classifiers, Rg/Sg, shows the lowest likelihood of misclassification (4.3%) for the populations. In conclusion, results of joint discriminant analyses suggest that even the arguably ineffective single classifier, like Pg/Sg in this case, can provide some value when used in combination with others.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Deep Learning-Aided Workflow for Decoding the Stress Regime of Southern Nevada

The Rock Valley fault zone in southern Nevada has a notable history of seismic activity and is the site of a future direct comparison experiment of explosion and earthquake sources. This study aims to gain insight into regional tectonic processes by leveraging recent advances in seismic monitoring capabilities to elucidate the local stress regime. A crucial step in this investigation is the accurate determination of P-wave first-motion polarities, which play a vital role in resolving earthquake focal mechanisms of small earthquakes. Here, we deploy a deep learning-based method for automatic determination of first-motion polarities to vastly expand the polarity dataset beyond what has been reviewed by human analysts. By the integrating P-wave polarities with new measurements of S/P amplitude ratios, we obtain robust focal mechanism estimates for 1306 earthquakes with a local magnitude of 1 and above occurring between 2010 and 2023 in southern Nevada. We then use the focal mechanism catalog to examine the regional stress orientation, confirming an overall trans-tensional stress regime with smaller scale complexities illuminated by individual earthquake sequences. These findings demonstrate how detailed analyses of small earthquakes can provide fundamental information for understanding earthquake processes in the region and inform future experiments at the Nevada National Security Site.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Constructing a High‐Resolution Aftershock Catalog for the 2017 Mw 8.2 Tehuantepec Earthquake Sequence Using a Machine Learning–Based Workflow

The 8 September 2017 Mw 8.2 Tehuantepec earthquake was the largest instrumentally recorded normal‐faulting earthquake in Mexico. The mainshock occurred offshore within the Tehuantepec seismic gap, generating >30,000 aftershocks in the following year. We applied an open‐source, machine learning (ML)–assisted workflow to construct a high‐resolution aftershock catalog using data from temporary and permanent seismic networks in southern Mexico. The workflow integrates PhaseNet for phase detection; GaMMA for phase association; and VELEST, HypoInverse, and HypoDD for velocity modeling and relocation. We processed seven months of continuous waveform data from 29 broadband stations, including a temporary rapid‐response deployment that improved station coverage of the offshore rupture zone. To evaluate performance, we compared our results against analyst‐reviewed picks and event locations from the Servicio Sismológico Nacional catalog. The resulting catalog contains 11,374 relocated earthquakes and represents the most comprehensive published dataset for this sequence, incorporating the first full use of the temporary network. Relocated hypocenters show improved depth control and align well with the Slab2.0 subduction geometry, revealing clearer separation between offshore slab events and onshore crustal seismicity. This study demonstrates that combining ML‐based detection with established methods provides a scalable and reproducible approach for constructing high‐quality earthquake catalogs in tectonically complex environments and offers practical guidance for adapting similar workflows to other earthquake sequences.

Garcia, Marc [The University of Texas at El Paso, ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Analysis of Seismic Signals Generated by Vehicle Traffic with Application to Derivation of Subsurface Q-Values

Correct identification and modeling of anthropogenic sources of ground motion are of considerable importance for many studies, including detection of small earthquakes and imaging seismic properties below the surface. Here, to understand signals generated by common vehicle traffic, we use seismic data recorded by closely spaced geophones normal to roads at two sites on San Jacinto fault zone. To quantify the spatiotemporal and frequency variations of the recorded ground motions, we develop a simple analytical solution accounting for propagation and attenuation of surface waves. The model reproduces well-observed bell-shaped spectrograms of car signals recorded by geophones close to roads, and it can be used to estimate frequency-dependent Q-values of the subsurface materials. The data analysis indicates Q-values of 3–40, for frequencies up to 150 Hz for road-receiver paths at the two examined sites. The derived Q-values are consistent with attenuation factors of surface waves previously obtained with other methods. The analytical results and analysis procedure provide a highly efficient method for deriving Q-values of shallow subsurface materials.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Seismic monitoring of CO 2 geosequestration using multi-well 4D DAS VSP: Stage 3 of the CO2CRC Otway project

An important part of any CO 2 geosequestration project is to ensure CO 2 containment and conformance in the subsurface. This is generally done by implementing a comprehensive, risk-based Measurement, Monitoring and Verification plan, a key element of which is active time-lapse seismic monitoring. However, high cost and environmental impact of the standard surface seismic monitoring dictate the need for a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative. An opportunity to develop such method emerges with advances in distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology, which turns an optical fibre into a seismic sensor with dense spatial sampling. DAS can be permanently deployed in multiple wells across the geosequestration site providing a robust and non-intrusive network of seismic receivers. This approach was developed and tested in the CO2CRC Otway project, where injection of 15 kt of CO 2 at 1.5 km depth was monitored with a 4D vertical seismic profiling (VSP) using five borehole DAS arrays and mobile vibroseis sources. The 4D DAS VSP in each of the five wells provides broadly consistent images of the CO 2 plume with some differences due to different illumination of the target horizon, lateral variation of velocities, and seismic anisotropy. When the newly injected CO 2 reaches a CO 2 plume created as a result of an earlier injection into the same formation ~600 m updip, 4D DAS VSP shows a change in reflectivity in that area and beyond. Furthermore, this shows a potential of 4D DAS VSP for monitoring gas injection into gas-saturated reservoirs.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Consensus Equilibrium Approach for 3-D Land Seismic Shots Recovery

Physical and budget constraints often result in inadequate sampling for accurate subsurface imaging. Preprocessing approaches, such as missing trace interpolation, are typically employed to enhance seismic data in such cases. The compressed sensing (CS) framework has been applied for modeling missing seismic data, which is estimated by sparsity-based computational algorithms. While existing work mainly focuses on recovering missing traces resulting from receiver subsampling, source subsampling has greater economical advantages, as sources are more expensive than receivers. Moreover, stronger image models different from sparsity have not been explored for source recovery. This work presents a consensus equilibrium (CE) approach to recover missing seismic shots, which enables to incorporate various regularization operators modeling different data priors. Here, simulation results from a real 3-D land seismic dataset demonstrate that the CE approach provides more accurate estimations of the linear and hyperbolic events in the recovered shots, compared with pure sparsity-based reconstructions.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

En echelon faults reactivated by wastewater disposal near Musreau Lake, Alberta

We use machine-learning and cross-correlation techniques to enhance earthquake detectability by two magnitude units for the earthquake sequence near Musreau Lake, Alberta, which is induced by wastewater disposal. This deep catalogue reveals a series of en echelon ~N–S oriented strike-slip faults that are favourably oriented for reactivation. These faults require only ~0.6 MPa overpressure for triggering to occur. Earthquake activity occurs in bursts, or episodes; episodes restricted to the largest fault tend to have earthquakes starting near the southern end (distant from injectors) and progressing northwards (towards the injectors). While most events are concentrated along these ~N–S oriented faults, we also delineate smaller faults. Together, these findings suggest pore pressure as the triggering mechanism, where a time-dependent increase in pore pressure likely caused these faults to progressively reawaken. Analysis of the ‘next record-breaking event’, a statistical model that forecasts the sequencing of earthquake magnitudes, suggests that the next largest event would be M L ~4.3. The seismically illuminated length of the largest fault indicates potential magnitudes as large as M w 5.3.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Quantifying Site Effects and Their Influence on Earthquake Source Parameter Estimations Using a Dense Array in Oklahoma

We investigate the effects of site response on source parameter estimates using earthquakes recorded by the LArge-n Seismic Survey in Oklahoma (LASSO). While it is well known that near-surface unconsolidated sediments can cause an apparent breakdown of earthquake self-similarity, the influence of laterally varying site conditions remains unclear. We analyze site conditions across the 1825-station array on a river plain within an area of 40 km by 23 km using vertical ground motions from 14 regional earthquakes. While the source radiation pattern controls P-wave ground motions below 8 Hz, the surface geology correlates with P-wave ground motions above 8 Hz and S-wave ground motions at 2–21 Hz. Stations installed in alluvial sediments have vertical ground motions that can exceed three times the array median. We use the variation of ground motion of regional earthquakes across the array as a proxy for site effects. The corner frequencies and stress drops of local earthquakes ( M L = 0.01–3) estimated using a standard single-spectra approach show negative correlations with the site-effect proxy, while the seismic moments show positive correlations. In contrast, the spectral-ratio approach effectively shows no correlation. The overall bias is small as expected for this relatively homogeneous structure; accurate estimation of site-related biases requires at least 30 stations. Correcting for site-related biases reduces the standard deviations of the source parameters by less than 13% of the total variations. Remaining variations are partially associated with source directivity and model misfits— as small earthquakes can have complex ruptures.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Interferometric SAR modelling of near surface data to improve geological model in the Surat Basin, Australia

Here we present a study on geophysical inverse modelling for subsurface structural properties of an unconventional hydrocarbon site that was monitored previously by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technology for surface deformation. A static three-dimensional geomodel along with extracted property maps replicates the depth of each underlying stratigraphic unit and structural feature with the density of each geological layer. We examine the hypothesis that integration of elastic properties of each formation layer with InSAR observations in a stratified elastic medium will lead to a viscoelastic geophysical inverse problem that can be solved to estimate fractional volume change at the reservoir level. Moreover, we examine synthetic scenarios in which the elastic properties of the formations are perturbed before determining the resulting impact on the rate of surface deformation. The results show that although the slope of underlying formations, their density and depth can define the extent and pattern of a deformation signal, their properties have a marginal impact on volumetric change compared to the dense network of shallow depth Coal Seam Gas (CSG) mining wells. Besides, it is also demonstrated that the inversion of InSAR deformation maps can resolve the uncertainties associated with low-resolution seismic interpretation as well as filling the data gaps within seismic acquisitions. A significant contribution of this investigation to the geological basin modelling involves a) introducing a remote and non-invasive technology such as InSAR to improve geophysical mapping of subsurface structures such as faults in areas with sparse or no reflective seismic information, and b) applying a multi-layer viscoelastic geophysical source model for an unconventional hydrocarbon reservoir such as CSG.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Identifying Different Classes of Seismic Noise Signals Using Unsupervised Learning

Abstract Proper classification of nontectonic seismic signals is critical for detecting microearthquakes and developing an improved understanding of ongoing weak ground motions. We use unsupervised machine learning to label five classes of nonstationary seismic noise common in continuous waveforms. Temporal and spectral features describing the data are clustered to identify separable types of emergent and impulsive waveforms. The trained clustering model is used to classify every 1 s of continuous seismic records from a dense seismic array with 10–30 m station spacing. We show that dominate noise signals can be highly localized and vary on length scales of hundreds of meters. The methodology demonstrates the complexity of weak ground motions and improves the standard of analyzing seismic waveforms with a low signal‐to‐noise ratio. Application of this technique will improve the ability to detect genuine microseismic events in noisy environments where seismic sensors record earthquake‐like signals originating from nontectonic sources.

Johnson, Christopher W.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mathematical Morphological Filtering with a Self-Adaptive Reconstruction Technique and Application to Local Seismic Data

Recorded seismic data are generally contaminated by noise from different sources, which masks the signals of interest. In the seismology community, frequency filtering (FF) is the standard method for noise suppression. However, when the signal of interest and noise share the same frequency band, the latter cannot be filtered out without infringing on the former. We implemented a noise suppression approach based on the mathematical morphology theorem. The method involves compound operations of dilation and erosion using structuring elements of varying lengths and decomposes an input noisy waveform into several time functions with differing characteristics. Further, the filtered waveform is constructed from the time functions using a self-adaptive reconstruction technique. Application to a data set of >4700 local waveforms suggests that the implemented mathematical morphological filtering (MMF) approach is efficient for data with low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and significantly outperforms FF in that SNR range. For most of the dataset, FF, machine learning (ML) denoising, and continuous wavelet transform (CWT) thresholding result in higher SNR values compared with the MMF method. However, for ~42% of the waveforms, MMF outperforms FF, and the SNR gain achieved with MMF is as large as ~23 dB. Compared to ML denoising and CWT thresholding, this proportion drops to only ~10%–14%. Our results suggests that in an operational setting, MMF cannot replace the other noise suppression methods; however, signal detection can be improved if MMF is used to supplement them in some scenarios. MMF could help detect signals in problematic low-SNR data, which are currently being missed particularly when using FF alone.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Spatio-Temporal Clustering of Seismicity Enabled by Off-Fault Plasticity

While significant progress has been made in understanding earthquake source processes in linear elastic domains, the effect of more realistic rheologies including plasticity is poorly understood. Here, in this work, we simulate the sequence of earthquake and aseismic slip of a 2D antiplane rate-and-state fault embedded in a full-space elastic-plastic bulk. We show that off-fault plasticity may lead to partial ruptures as well as temporal clustering of seismic events. Furthermore, the interaction of fault slip and off-fault plasticity results in pockets of slip deficit. While the energy dissipated through plastic deformation remains a small fraction of the total energy budget, its impact on the source characteristics is disproportionally large through the redistribution of stresses and viscous relaxation. Our results suggest a new mechanism of dynamic heterogeneity in earthquake physics that may have important implications on earthquake size distribution and energy budget.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Near-Field Imaging of Shallow Chemical Explosions in Granite Using Change Detection Methods with Surface and Borehole Seismic Data

Explosions detonated in geologic media damage it in various ways via processes that include vaporization, fracturing, crushing of interstitial pores, etc. Seismic waves interact with the altered media in ways that could be important to the discrimination, characterization, and location of the explosions. As part of the Source Physics Experiment, we acquired multiple pre- and post-explosion near-field seismic datasets and analyzed changes to seismic P-wave velocity. Our results indicate that the first explosion detonated in an intact media can cause fracturing and, consequently, a decrease in P-wave velocity. After the first explosion, subsequent detonations in the pre-damaged media have limited discernible effects. We hypothesize this is due to the stress-relief provided by a now pre-existing network of fractures into which gasses produced by the explosion migrate. We also see an overall increase in velocity of the damaged region over time, either due to a slow healing process or closing of the fractures by subsequent explosions.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2022

Advancing Geophysical Techniques to Image a Stratigraphic Hydrothermal Resource

Sedimentary-hosted geothermal energy systems are permeable structural, structural-stratigraphic, and/or stratigraphic horizons with sufficient temperature for direct use and/or electricity generation. Sedimentary-hosted (i.e., stratigraphic) geothermal reservoirs may be present in multiple locations across the central and eastern Great Basin of the USA, thereby constituting a potentially large base of untapped, economically accessible energy resources. Sandia National Laboratories has partnered with a multi disciplinary group of collaborators to evaluate a stratigraphic system in Steptoe Valley, Nevada using both established and novel geophysical imaging techniques. The goal of this study is to inform an optimized strategy for subsequent exploration and development of this resource and analogous ones. Building from prior Nevada Play Fairway Analysis (PFA), this team is primarily 1) collecting additional geophysical data, 2) employing novel joint geophysical inversion/modeling techniques to update existing 3D geologic models, and 3) integrating the geophysical results to produce a working, geologically constrained thermo-hydrological reservoir model. Prior PFA work highlights Steptoe Valley as a favorable resource basin that likely has both sedimentary and hydrothermal characteristics. However, there remains significant uncertainty on the nature and architecture of the resource(s) at depth, which increases the risk in exploratory drilling. Newly acquired gravity, magnetic, magnetotelluric, and controlled-source electromagnetic data products, in conjunction with new and preexisting geoscientific measurements and observations, are being integrated and evaluated for efficacy in understanding stratigraphic geothermal resources and mitigating exploration risk. Furthermore, the influence of hydrothermal activity on sedimentary-hosted reservoirs in favorable structural settings, and whether fault-controlled systems may locally enhance temperature and permeability in some deep stratigraphic reservoirs, will also be evaluated.

Geothermal, Sedimentary Heat, Geophysics, Seismic,↗
DOE OSTI2022

Development, verification, and validation of comprehensive acoustic fluid-structure interaction capabilities in an open-source computational platform

The acoustic fluid-structure interaction (FSI) formulation is a practical numerical approach for the seismic analysis of fluid-filled tanks. However, there are no verification and validation studies reported in the literature that demonstrate the ability of an acoustic FSI numerical model to predict responses important to structural and mechanical design for intense translational and rotational earthquake inputs. Herein, an acoustic FSI formulation is implemented in the open-source Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE), and is formally verified and validated using analytical solutions and code-to-code verification, and experimental data, respectively. The analytical solutions are for small amplitude, unidirectional seismic inputs. The code-to-code verification utilizes a previously verified and validated Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) numerical model in the commercial finite element code LS-DYNA. The validation studies utilize a comprehensive data set assembled from results of 3D earthquake-simulator tests of a fluid-filled vessel. The acoustic numerical model in MOOSE is verified and validated for hydrodynamic pressures and support reactions except for cases that involve significant convective response. For small amplitude inputs, numerically predicted wave heights match those of the analytical solutions. The numerical model is not verified and validated for wave height calculations under intense 3D seismic inputs. The run times for the acoustic FSI simulations in MOOSE are an order of magnitude, or more, shorter than for the corresponding ALE simulations in LS-DYNA. The utility of the MOOSE acoustic FSI implementation is demonstrated by seismic analysis of a building equipped with a fluid-filled, advanced nuclear reactor.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

A New Crater Near InSight: Implications for Seismic Impact Detectability on Mars

A new 1.5 m diameter impact crater was discovered on Mars only ~40 km from the InSight lander. Context camera images constrained its formation between 21 February and 6 April 2019; follow-up High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment images resolved the crater. During this time period, three seismic events were identified in InSight data. In this paper, we derive expected seismic signal characteristics and use them to evaluate each of the seismic events. However, none of them can definitively be associated with this source. Atmospheric perturbations are generally expected to be generated during impacts; however, in this case, no signal could be identified as related to the known impact. Using scaling relationships based on the terrestrial and lunar analogs and numerical modeling, we predict the amplitude, peak frequency, and duration of the seismic signal that would have emanated from this impact. The predicted amplitude falls near the lowest levels of the measured seismometer noise for the predicted frequency. Hence, it is not surprising this impact event was not positively identified in the seismic data. Finding this crater was a lucky event as its formation this close to InSight has a probability of only ~0.2, and the odds of capturing it in before and after images are extremely low. We revisit impact-seismic discriminators in light of real experience with a seismometer on the Martian surface. Using measured noise of the instrument, we revise our previous prediction of seismic impact detections downward, from ~a few to tens, to just ~2 per Earth year, still with an order of magnitude uncertainty.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗