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At least 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis for Iraq Based on the Updated Earthquake Catalog (1900-2021) and Ground Motion Characteristics

Onur et al. (2017) compiled the first comprehensive earthquake catalog for Iraq, covering 1900 to 2009 within 26°–40°N latitude and 36°–51°E longitude. This catalog was utilized in a probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) by Abdulnaby et al. (2020) to aid in updating Iraq’s building code seismic provisions. Recently, we have updated the earthquake catalog for Iraq by adding earthquakes recorded from 2010 to 2021 and directly calculating moment magnitude (Mw) for about 2,800 earthquakes using the coda envelope methodology and waveform data from the Mesopotamian Seismological Network (MPSN) in Iraq.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Operational Forecasting of Induced Seismicity (CRADA Final Report)

This was a collaborative effort between Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC ("LLNS"), as manager and operator of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory ("LLNL"), The Regents of the University of California, as manager and operator of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Collectively, Contractors) and Nanometrics, Inc. ("Participant"), to develop a toolkit called "Operational Forecasting of Induced Seismicity (ORION)" that includes a decision tree method for operational forecasting of induced seismicity rates related to fluid disposal operations.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

FY 2025 End of Year Report: Seismic Monitoring of Underground Vibration Sources using Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) and Seismometers

This end-of-year report summarizes progress on using seismic monitoring to detect, associate, and locate anomalous vibration signals that may indicate potential containment breaches. The work focused on four key tasks: 1. Developing a database of continuous waveforms and ground-truth event data from multiple sensing modalities. 2. Refining and implementing detection and association algorithms to generate a catalog of anomalous underground activities. 3. Testing and improving distributed acoustic sensing amplitude-based geolocation methods to build an event location catalog. 4. Testing and refining seismic array polarization-based geolocation methods to build an event location catalog. This report provides a brief recap of results from the FY25 midyear report (Tasks 1 and 2) and presents new findings from geolocation methods (Tasks 3 and 4).

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

The propagation of seismic waves, misinformation, and disinformation from the 2024-10-05 M 4.5 Iran earthquake

The 2024-10-05 Iran M 4.5 earthquake took place at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East. We perform a discrimination and moment tensor analysis and identify a shallow-dipping, reverse fault source commensurate with the compressional setting of the Iranian interior. Nonetheless, the event's aftermath saw widespread dissemination of misinformation, and potentially active disinformation, concluding that it was in fact a test of an Iranian nuclear weapon. The 'evidence' for many of these claims was based on inaccurate interpretation of seismic data. In this paper, we analyze how geophysical 'fake news' propagated through social media (mainly Twitter/X) following this event, eventually gaining traction in mainstream, earned media. This event is an illustrative warning of how seismic data can be misinterpreted and/or manipulated in public discourse.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Data for Monitoring Fracture Saturation with Internal Transportable Seismic Sources and Twin Neural Networks

Seismic coda-wave analysis is a well-developed method for detecting subtle physical changes in complex media by measuring arrival times in the late-arriving energy from multiply-scattered or reflected waves. However, a challenge arises when multiply-scattered waves are not sufficiently separated in time from the direct arrivals to provide a clear coda wave train. Additional complications for monitoring changes in fracture systems arise when the signals originate from unsynchronized internal sources, such as natural induced seismicity, from acoustic emission, or from transportable intra-fracture sources (chattering dust), that generate uncontrolled signals that vary in arrival time, amplitude and frequency content. Here, we use a twin neural network (also known as a Siamese neural network) for dimensionality reduction to analyze signals from chattering dust to classify the fluid saturation state of a synthetic fracture system. The twin neural network with shared weights generates a low-dimensional representation of the data input by minimizing contrastive loss, serving as the input to a multiclass classifier that accurately classifies whether multiple fractures in a fracture system are fully saturated or partially saturated, or whether a change in saturation has occurred in different fractures in the system. These results show that information buried in unresolved codas from uncontrolled sources can be extracted using machine learning to monitor the evolution of fracture systems caused by physical and chemical processes even when the scattered and direct wave fields overlap.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

EarthScope Seismic Station A21K (A21K-6) Field Campaign Report

Seismic station A21K has been successfully operating over the last five years. The station was constructed on 4/24/2014 by creating a borehole using an auger drill and inserting a PVC pipe casing. Roughly one month later, on 6/2/2014, the seismometer, weather station (Vaisala WXT520 meteorological sensor), enclosure, and electronics were installed. Collected data is being reported in real-time and is publicly available. On rare occasion, the station has required in-person service/maintenance visits, occurring on 4/29/2015 (fix faulty cable), 4/5/2016 (swap VIE), and 8/4/2017 (general check-up visit while in the area). This station is one in a 280-station seismic array/grid that make up the EarthScope: Transportable Array (USArray) project, funded by the National Science Foundation. USArray is operated by the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), a nonprofit 503(c) Corporation founded in 1984, that is a consortium of over 100 US universities dedicated to the operation of science facilities for the acquisition, management, and distribution of seismological data.

North Slope of Alaska, seismology, Earth system↗
DOE OSTI2020

Characterizing natural fractures and sub-seismic faults for well completion of Marcellus shale in the MSEEL Consortium project, West Virginia, USA

The Middle Devonian Marcellus shale play has emerged as a major world-class hydrocarbon accumulation and represents one of the largest and most prolific shale plays in the world. According to many outcrop studies in the region, natural fractures are well developed in the Marcellus Shale. However, evaluating fractures in the subsurface is often a significant challenge due to a lack of sufficient data. Therefore, in the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) consortium project, significant efforts have been made to acquire high-quality image logs in the Marcellus laterals. The project provided tremendous opportunities to characterize the natural fractures and sub-seismic faults and to evaluate their impact on well stimulation. In this study, about 70,000 ft of acquired high-resolution logging while drilling (LWD) acoustic images from five long laterals located in Monongalia County, West Virginia, were processed and interpreted. In addition, the study used high-quality micro-resistivity images from a pilot well, allowing the evaluation of natural fractures in the entire Marcellus vertical sequence. Based on the available acoustic images, the natural fractures were classified into three basic categories: high-amplitude fractures, low-amplitude fractures, and faults. Further, larger open fractures can also be determined when a low-amplitude fracture is evident on caliper images. The fractures in the Marcellus usually have a medium to high angle dip; however, multiple fracture sets in terms of strike orientation were clearly observed in all the laterals. The fracture set with a strike at NE-SW (or 60-240 deg) seems to be the predominant one in all the wells. A few other sets, including those with N-S, NWW-SEE, and E-W strikes, were also observed. Several sub-seismic faults, with mostly a low dip angle and a NE-SW strike, have also been seen in two of the laterals. The fracture density is variable across all the laterals, ranging from very low (or none) to very high (up to 5 fractures per ft). The average fracture density for all the laterals is about 1 fracture per 10 ft. In the vertical sequence, the natural fracture development showed a clear preference for shale or shaly facies over carbonate-rich or thin limestone layers. The interpreted fracture and fault data were used as input data for the stimulation design with the purpose of better understanding the fractures’ impact on well stimulation. Production data from the laterals were also used to evaluate the natural fractures’ influence on well performance. The quality image database and the consistent interpretation results for the entire project enabled a systematic approach to characterizing fractures and, more importantly, to evaluating the impact of fractures on well stimulation and production.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Seismic attenuation system for a nuclear reactor

A system for attenuating seismic forces includes a reactor pressure vessel containing nuclear fuel and a containment vessel that houses the reactor pressure vessel. Both the reactor pressure vessel and the containment vessel include a bottom head. Additionally, the system includes a base support to contact a support surface on which the containment vessel is positioned in a substantially vertical orientation. An attenuation device is located between the bottom head of the reactor pressure vessel and the bottom head of the containment vessel. Seismic forces that travel from the base support to the reactor pressure vessel via the containment vessel are attenuated by the attenuation device in a direction that is substantially lateral to the vertical orientation of the containment vessel.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Fibre-optic based DAS technology for Long-term Seismic Monitoring of Carbon Capture and Storage Projects

Long-term seismic monitoring of carbon capture and storage projects (CCS) is needed to verify that the injected gas is safely stored in the subsurface until permanence can be assured. Conventional surface seismic monitoring techniques are usually expensive, require highly invasive surface operations, and need significant time investments on the part of personnel for both the field effort and processing the acquired data. For these reasons, permanent reservoir monitoring (PRM) technologies are preferred, as they can offer a cost-effective solution for long-term monitoring. In this context, we have developed and trialed the use of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) coupled to permanent rotary sources, called surface orbital vibrators (SOV), with the objective to build a continuous monitoring array for CCS projects.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Utah FORGE Updated Well, Well Pad, and Seismic Station GPS Coordinates December, 2021

This is a CSV spreadsheet containing UTM and Latitude and Longitude coordinates and elevations for Wells 78-32, 78B-32, 56-32, 58-32, 68-32, and 16A(78)-32 and seismic stations BOR1, BOR2, BOR3, FOR1, FOR2, FOR5, FOR6, FOR 7, FOR8, FORK, FORU, FORW, and FORB. These are from a GPS survey conducted by the Utah Geological Survey completed in December, 2021.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Utah FORGE Downhole Geophone Seismic Data (August 2022)

This is a link to downhole geophone data collected by Schlumberger. These data were collected in the Utah FORGE deep seismic monitoring wells 58-32 and 56-32. The format is a standard SEGY and the units are bits. To convert to acceleration (m/s2) multiply by 2.333 x 10-7. Use one of the scripts linked below to use wget commands to pull the data.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Utah FORGE: Temperature-Dependent Fracture Seismicity from Fluid Injection Experiments

This dataset contains experimental data from fluid injection experiments conducted to investigate the influence of temperature on fracture seismicity. The experiments were performed on granite samples from Utah FORGE. The samples were prepared with a 30-degree inclined fracture and subjected to controlled stress and temperature conditions. Data were collected under three distinct temperature settings: 24 C, 78 C, and 137 C. During the experiments, a constant confining pressure of 10 MPa and a constant shear stress at 80% of the shear strength of the sample were maintained. Pore pressure was incrementally increased at a rate of 300 kPa every three minutes to simulate fluid injection. Temperature was raised rapidly and then stabilized for the duration of each test. The dataset includes shear stress and displacement measurements under each temperature condition, along with supplementary figures illustrating the experimental setup and time-series plots of pressures and temperature.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Utah FORGE: Seismic DAS and Geophone Borehole Data Processing and 3D Imaging of Vp/Vs Ratio in the 2024 Stimulated Reservoir

This dataset includes a final report and a 3D velocity model derived from seismic DAS and geophone borehole data collected during the April 2024 stimulation of the reservoir at Utah FORGE. The report details the processing of over 50,000 P- and S-wave travel times used in a tomographic inversion to estimate the Vp/Vs ratio, revealing anomalies adjacent to wells 16A and 16B that may be associated with injected fracturing fluids. Additionally, Wadati analysis of more than 27,000 pairs of differential P- and S-wave travel times supports this interpretation with a high Vp/Vs estimate of 1.86, averaged over the dimensions of the earthquake cluster. The accompanying data file provides a 3D model of P- and S-wave velocities and Vp/Vs ratios, structured with spatial coordinates and velocity values.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

SPC-70783 Rev 0 Seismic Detector and Switch Survey and Verification Specification

A. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is developing a microreactor to produce electrical power utilizing a small nuclear core and Stirling engines under the Microreactor Application Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) program. The MARVEL microreactor Reactor Protection System (RPS) will have a seismic trip function. The selected part for this design is ETNA2 manufactured by Kinemetrics, Inc. B. Acceptance of the items delivered under this scope of work can be performed through a direct evaluation of the supplier’s controls and a factory acceptance test.

21 - SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLAN↗
DOE OSTI2021

Constraining maximum event magnitude during injection-triggered seismicity

Abstract Understanding mechanisms controlling fluid injection-triggered seismicity is key in defining strategies to ameliorate it. Recent triggered events (e.g. Pohang, Mw 5.5) have exceeded predictions of average energy release by a factor of >1000x, necessitating robust methodologies to both define critical antecedent conditions and to thereby constrain anticipated event size. We define maximum event magnitudes resulting from triggering as a function of pre-existing critical stresses and fluid injection volume. Fluid injection experiments on prestressed laboratory faults confirm these estimates of triggered moment magnitudes for varied boundary conditions and injection rates. In addition, observed ratios of shear slip to dilation rates on individual faults signal triggering and may serve as a measurable proxy for impending rupture. This new framework provides a robust method of constraining maximum event size for preloaded faults and unifies prior laboratory and field observations that span sixteen decades in injection volume and four decades in length scale.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Seismic imaging of the Ecuadorian forearc and arc from joint ambient noise, local, and teleseismic tomography: catching the Nazca slab in the act of flattening

SUMMARY The Ecuadorian Andes are a complex region characterized by accreted oceanic terranes driven by the ongoing subduction of the oceanic Nazca plate beneath South America. Present-day tectonics in Ecuador are linked to the downgoing plate geometry featuring the subduction of the aseismic, oceanic Carnegie Ridge, which is currently entering the trench. Using seismic tomography, we jointly invert arrival times of P and S waves from local and teleseismic earthquakes with surface wave dispersion curves to image the structure of the forearc and magmatic arc of the Ecuadorian Andes. Our data set includes > 100 000 traveltimes recorded at 294 stations across Ecuador. Our images show the basement of the central forearc is composed of accreted oceanic terranes with high elastic wave speeds. Inboard of the Carnegie Ridge, the westernmost forearc and coastal cordilleras display relatively low Vp and Vs and high Vp/Vs values, which we attribute to the increased hydration and fracturing of the overriding plate due to the subduction of the thick oceanic crust of the Carnegie Ridge. We additionally image across-arc differences in magmatic architecture. The frontal volcanic arc overlies accreted terranes and is characterized by low velocities and high Vp/Vs indicative of partial melt reservoirs which are limited to the upper crust. In contrast, the main arc displays regions of partial melt across a wider range of depths. The Subandean zone of Ecuador has two active volcanoes built on continental crust suggesting the arc is expanding eastwards. The mid to lower crust does not show indications of being modified from the magmatic process. We infer that the slab is in the process of flattening as a consequence of early-stage subduction of the buoyant Carnegie Ridge.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Utah FORGE 3-2535: Joint EM-Seismic-InSAR Imaging of Fracture Properties - Workshop Presentation

This is a presentation on the Joint Electromagnetic/Seismic/InSAR Imaging of Spatial-Temporal Fracture Growth and Estimation of Physical Fracture Properties During EGS Resource Development project by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, presented by Dr. David Alumbaugh, Staff Scientist. The project's objective was to develop a set of technologies and workflow to image induced fracture generation and growth for an Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS). The project anticipates imaging of the fracture generation and growth at FORGE using a combination of passive seismic, active source borehole EM, and INSAR technology. This presentation was featured in the Utah FORGE R&D Annual Workshop on September 8, 2023. The workshop provided a valuable opportunity to explore the progress made in each of the 17 Research and Development projects funded under Solicitation 2020-1 which aim to enhance our understanding of the crucial factors influencing the development of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) reservoirs and resources.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗