Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “seismic activity”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Understanding Subsurface Fracture Evolution Dynamics Using Time‐Lapse Full Waveform Inversion of Continuous Active‐Source Seismic Monitoring Data

Abstract Predicting the behavior, geometry, and flow properties of subsurface fractures remains a challenging problem. Seismic models that can characterize fractures usually suffer from low spatiotemporal resolution. Here, we develop a correlative double‐difference time‐lapse full waveform inversion of continuous active source seismic monitoring data for determining high‐spatiotemporal‐resolution time‐lapse V p models of in‐situ fracture evolution at a shallow contamination site in Wyoming, USA. Assisted by rock physics modeling, we find that (a) rapidly increasing pore pressure initializes and grows the fracture, increasing the porosity slightly (from ∼13.7% to ∼14.6%) in the tight clay formation, thus decreasing V p (∼50 m/s); (b) the fluid injection continues decreasing V p , likely through the introduction of gas bubbles in the injectate; and (c) final V p reductions reach over ∼150 m/s due to a posited ∼4.5% gas saturation. Our results demonstrate that high‐resolution V p changes are indicative of mechanical and fluid changes within the fracture zone during hydrofracturing.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Laboratory investigation of hydraulic fracturing in granitic rocks using active and passive seismic monitoring

SUMMARY Knowledge of the fracturing processes can be important for the optimization of pressurized fluid injection operations in the deep underground rock mass. Active and passive seismic monitoring techniques have been used in the field for tracking or mapping the propagating hydraulic fracture. Although both these monitoring techniques provide valuable information about the generated fracture network, it is difficult for either technique to comprehensibly identify the different processes associated with hydraulic fracturing. The combined active and passive monitoring has the potential for better characterization of the complex hydraulic fracturing phenomena. In this study, laboratory hydraulic fracturing experiments with combined active and passive seismic monitoring were conducted on true triaxially loaded Barre granite cubes with different fluid injection rates. The seismic inelastic fracturing was detected by 16 passive acoustic emission sensors, where 3678 and 2370 seismic source events were detected for the high and low injection rate experiments, respectively. For active monitoring, strong variations in the attributes of signals were observed which were transmitted through four source–receiver pairs, placed both perpendicular and parallel to the generated hydraulic fracture. Positive velocity changes were observed for active sensor pairs with ray paths passing through the generated hydraulic fracture indicating fluid permeation, whereas isolated dry deformation was characterized by a slight but permanent velocity decrease. Compared to velocity, the energy of the active signals was 1–2 orders of magnitude more sensitive to different hydraulic fracturing processes. However, the sensitivity and signatures of the active signal attributes were found to be dependent on the frequency range and direction of ray path with respect to the location of the generated fracture network. Using the coupled evaluation of the active and passive signals we were able to systematically identify various hydraulic fracturing processes including: (1) aseismic deformation, (2) fracture initiation and fluid permeation, (3) pressure build-up, (4) fracture propagation and (5) pressure release and leak-off. The results of this study showed that combining the respective advantages of active and passive seismic techniques and using both of them to monitor the failure processes can facilitate a more comprehensive understanding and better control of the hydraulic stimulations in subsurface operations.

Geochemistry & Geophysics↗
DOE OSTI2025

Monitoring Fracture Hydromechanical Evolution in the Lab and Field Using Unsupervised Metric Learning

Fractures evolve in time through thermal‐hydraulic‐mechanical‐chemical (THMC) processes that alter their long‐range hydraulic transport properties and modify subsurface behavior and activities. The location of subsurface fractures makes it necessary to use remote sensing techniques such as passive or active seismic monitoring for fracture characterization. In this paper, we develop a machine learning approach to monitor the evolution of fracture properties using passive seismic sources in a laboratory setting and using active seismic monitoring from the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, at a depth of 1.25 km in amphibolite rock during stimulation of natural fractures as well as during induced fracturing. The unsupervised metric learning technique applies tandem neural networks (twin (Siamese) or triplet) with contrastive loss and adaptive margins to track slowly varying systems for which class or similarity labels are not available. The approach adopts locality‐sensitive hashing to divide time‐ordered contiguous data into an arbitrary number of pseudo‐classes. Contrastive‐loss training with many hash bins generates an evolving latent‐space trajectory. This approach enables unsupervised metric learning for seismic data stacks under the condition of contiguous state sampling and slowly varying fracture properties. The displacement discontinuity theory provides a mechanistic foundation for the fracture‐dependent trajectories that are related to relaxation of fractures with time‐dependent specific stiffness responding to changes in stress or fluid saturation.

02 PETROLEUM↗
NASA NTRS1975

Shallow lunar structure determined from the passive seismic experiment

Data relevant to the shallow structure of the moon obtained at the Apollo seismic stations are compared with previously published results of the active seismic experiments. It is concluded that the lunar surface is covered by a layer of low seismic velocity which appears to be equivalent to the lunar regolith defined previously by geological observations. This layer is underlain by a zone of distinctly higher seismic velocity at all of the Apollo landing sites. The regolith thicknesses at the Apollo 11, 12, and 15 sites are estimated from the shear-wave resonance to be 4.4, 3.7, and 4.4 m, respectively. These thicknesses and those determined at the other Apollo sites by the active seismic experiments appear to be correlated with the age determinations and the abundances of extralunar components at the sites.

Nakamura, Y.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Deep Learning for Full Waveform Inversion of Elastic Active-Source Seismic Data to Estimate P-Wave Velocity Models

Seismic imaging methods are critical for Global Security and Energy & Homeland Security missions and activities that rely on subsurface characterization, but traditional methods remain computationally expensive and require significant labor hours and expertise to execute. Within the past few years, machine learning (ML), namely deep learning (DL), has been used to develop data-driven end-to-end full waveform inversion (FWI) methods to estimate 2D P-wave velocity (Vp) models in a fraction of the time as conventional FWI. These methods, however, are trained on simplistic acoustic wave seismic data and Vp models that are not realistic nor representative of real-world observations, leaving a large gap between the state-of-the-art and deployable, feasible, and practical DL FWI methods. Here, we generate a synthetic active-source, 3D, elastic wave seismic data set and a variety of Vp models with realistic geologic structure for training DL FWI methods. We evaluate six different methods that have performed well for acoustic DL FWI or medical imaging tasks using our more realistic dataset. We find that these six trained models do not match the performance of published acoustic end-to-end DL FWI methods, indicating more training data may be needed, physics may need to be incorporated to achieve good accuracy at the sacrifice of the end-to-end advantage, and/or novel methods need to be developed to enable end-to-end DL FWI methods to perform well for real-world seismic data.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
NASA NTRS1991

Martian seismicity

The design and ultimate success of network seismology experiments on Mars depends on the present level of Martian seismicity. Volcanic and tectonic landforms observed from imaging experiments show that Mars must have been a seismically active planet in the past and there is no reason to discount the notion that Mars is seismically active today but at a lower level of activity. Models are explored for present day Mars seismicity. Depending on the sensitivity and geometry of a seismic network and the attenuation and scattering properties of the interior, it appears that a reasonable number of Martian seismic events would be detected over the period of a decade. The thermoelastic cooling mechanism as estimated is surely a lower bound, and a more refined estimate would take into account specifically the regional cooling of Tharsis and lead to a higher frequency of seismic events.

Phillips, Roger J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Solar-terrestrial predictions proceedings. Volume 4: Prediction of terrestrial effects of solar activity

Papers about prediction of ionospheric and radio propagation conditions based primarily on empirical or statistical relations is discussed. Predictions of sporadic E, spread F, and scintillations generally involve statistical or empirical predictions. The correlation between solar-activity and terrestrial seismic activity and the possible relation between solar activity and biological effects is discussed.

Donnelly, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Large Torque Variations in Two Soft Gamma Repeaters

We have monitored the pulse frequencies of the two soft gamma repeaters SGR 1806-20 and SGR 1900+14 through the beginning of year 2001 using primarily Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer Proportional Counter Array observations. In both sources, we observe large changes in the spin-down torque up to a factor of approximately 4, which persist for several months. Using long baseline phase-connected timing solutions as well as the overall frequency histories, we construct torque noise power spectra for each SGR. The power spectrum of each source is very red (power-law slope approximately -3.5). These power spectra are consistent in normalization with some accreting systems, yet much steeper in slope than any known accreting source. To the best of our knowledge, torque noise power spectra with a comparably steep frequency dependence have only been seen in young, glitching radio pulsars (e.g. Vela). The observed changes in spin-down rate do not correlate with burst activity, therefore, the physical mechanisms behind each phenomenon are also likely unrelated. Within the context of the magnetar model, seismic activity cannot account for both the bursts and the long-term torque changes unless the seismically active regions are decoupled from one another.

Woods, Peter M.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Large Torque Variations in Two Soft Gamma Repeaters

We have monitored the pulse frequencies of the two soft gamma repeaters SGR 1806-20 and SGR 1900+14 through the beginning of year 2001 using primarily Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer Proportional Counter Array observations. In both sources, we observe large changes in the spin-down torque up to a factor of approximately 4, which persist for several months. Using long-baseline phase-connected timing solutions as well as the overall frequency histories, we construct torque noise power spectra for each SGR (Soft Gamma Repeater). The power spectrum of each source is very red (power-law slope is approximately -3.5). The torque noise power levels are consistent with some accreting systems on timescales of approximately 1 yr, yet the full power spectrum is much steeper in frequency than any known accreting source. To the best of our knowledge, torque noise power spectra with a comparably steep frequency dependence have been seen only in young, glitching radio pulsars (e.g., Vela). The observed changes in spin-down rate do not correlate with burst activity; therefore, the physical mechanisms behind each phenomenon are also likely unrelated. Within the context of the magnetar model, seismic activity can not account for both the bursts and the long-term torque changes unless the seismically active regions are decoupled from one another.

Woods, Peter M.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Pore Pressure Diffusion and Onset of Induced Seismicity

The Raton Basin of Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico experienced a significant increase in seismicity over the last several decades, including two M5+ earthquakes. The increase in seismicity started soon after an increase in wastewater disposal associated with coal-bed methane production. Twenty-nine wastewater injection wells have operated in the Basin, with several high-rate injectors located within a kilometer of the most seismically active regions. We developed a pore pressure model to investigate the relationship between pore pressure diffusion and onset of induced seismicity, with an emphasis on the Trinidad fault zones. Our model indicates that sufficient pore pressure increase had accumulated on the northern extent of the Trinidad fault zone to induce seismicity at the time of early-stage seismic activity. The hydrogeologic architecture of the Basin played a key role in controlling pore pressure perturbation. The basal sedimentary interval with moderately low diffusivity restricted vertical pore pressure diffusion, creating a substantial lag time between wells becoming active and the expression of perturbation in the fault zones. The spatiotemporal relationship between early-stage seismicity and wastewater injection in conjunction with modeled pore pressures suggests that the early-stage seismicity in the Raton Basin was likely triggered by pore pressure diffusion.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evaluating the Aftershock Duration of Induced Earthquakes

As the carbon sequestration community prepares to scale up the number and size of commercial operations, the need for tools and methods to assess and mitigate risks associated with these operations becomes increasingly important. One outstanding question is whether aftershocks of induced events decay quickly after injection operations cease or if aftershock activity persists for hundreds of years before returning to background levels more akin to tectonic events (Stein and Liu, 2009). Appropriate estimates of the aftershock duration impact several operational management decisions including mitigation strategies and post-injection monitoring for seismic activity. It is hypothesized that induced earthquake rates may diminish more quickly after injection is stopped, owing to higher stressing rates from injected fluids. Alternatively, it is plausible that only the first event in the sequence is induced by increased fluid overpressures, whereas subsequent events (e.g., aftershocks) respond to the stored tectonic stresses and static and dynamic stress changes due to the mainshock (Keranen et al., 2013). Further, if the aftershock duration can be linked to stressing rates due to injection, then it follows that operational strategies to reduce seismic hazard by reducing injection rates or volumes may be successful. However, if aftershocks of induced events are relieving stored tectonic stresses, then altering injection volumes may not alleviate ongoing seismic activity. Furthermore, knowledge of an aftershock duration could aid in the determination of an appropriate post-injection monitoring period for ongoing seismicity, which is a factor in overall operational costs. In this study, we model induced seismicity sequences in Oklahoma with a coupled Coulomb rate–state earthquake rate model (Dieterich, 1994; Kroll et al., 2017) to estimate aftershocks durations. Results for the current study indicate that elevated rates of aftershock activity following induced mainshocks return to background seismicity rates in less than five years, contrary to the tens to hundreds of years observed for tectonic aftershocks.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Assessing the Expansion of Ground-Motion Sensing Capability in Smart Cities via Internet Fiber-Optic Infrastructure

Monitoring ground motion in smart cities can improve the public safety by providing critical insights on natural and anthropogenic hazards, for example, earthquakes, landslides, explosions, infrastructure failures, and so forth. Although seismic activity is typically measured using dedicated point sensors (e.g., geophones and accelerometers), techniques such as distributed acoustic sensing have demonstrated the utility of using fiber-optic cable to detect seismic activity over comparable distances. In this article, we present the results of a study that quantifies the expansion in an area monitored for low-amplitude ground-motion events by augmenting existing point sensors with the internet fiber-optic cable infrastructure. Here we begin by describing our methodology, which utilizes geospatial data on point sensors and internet optical fiber deployed in metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the United States. We extend these data to identify the area that can be monitored by (1) considering the observed seismic noise data in target locations, (2) applying the model from Wilson et al. (2021) to understand the potential coverage area gains using optical fiber sensing, and (3) optimizing the selection of fiber segments to maximize coverage and minimize deployment costs. We implement our methodology in ArcGIS to assess the additional area that can be monitored for low-amplitude ground-motion events (i.e., magnitude >0.5) by utilizing internet fiber-optic cables in the 100 most populous MSAs in the United States. We find that the addition of internet fiber-based sensors in MSAs would increase the area monitored on average by over an order of magnitude from 1% to 12%, if the subset of fiber cable segments that maximize coverage and minimize deployment costs is chosen even if only 20% of all fibers are used.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Towards Automated/Semiautomated Extraction of Faults from Lidar Data

The Pajarito fault system is a complex zone of deformation and a seismically active region nestled within the Rio Grande rift in north-central New Mexico. Numerous laterally discontinuous faults and associated folds and fractures interact in a manner that has important implications for seismic hazards and risk mitigation. Previous efforts have established a foundation for the location of lineaments and structures in the Pajarito fault system; however, ensuring the completeness of the current lineament mapping is required for identifying areas for field validation, evaluating the potential for future seismic activity, and better understanding fault interaction. Assistance with this fault-mapping task via automated or semiautomated techniques as applied to lidar data over a large area of interest is highly desirable. A proof-of-concept processing flow which transforms lidar point-cloud data into a raster of surficial fault candidates is described and illustrated herein. We report these initial results hold great promise toward achieving our ultimate goal.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1977

Lunar seismicity and tectonics

Results are presented for an analysis of all moonquake data obtained by the Apollo seismic stations during the period from November 1969 to May 1974 and a preliminary analysis of critical data obtained in the interval from May 1974 to May 1975. More accurate locations are found for previously located moonquakes, and additional sources are located. Consideration is given to the sources of natural seismic signals, lunar seismic activity, moonquake periodicities, tidal periodicities in moonquake activity, hypocentral locations and occurrence characteristics of deep and shallow moonquakes, lunar tidal control over moonquakes, lunar tectonism, the locations of moonquake belts, and the dynamics of the lunar interior. It is concluded that: (1) moonquakes are distributed in several major belts of global extent that coincide with regions of the youngest and most intense volcanic and tectonic activity; (2) lunar tides control both the small quakes occurring at great depth and the larger quakes occurring near the surface; (3) the moon has a much thicker lithosphere than earth; (4) a single tectonic mechanism may account for all lunar seismic activity; and (5) lunar tidal stresses are an efficient triggering mechanism for moonquakes.

Lammlein, D. R.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Stratigraphy‐Induced Localization of Microseismicity During CO 2 Injection in Illinois Basin

Abstract Subsurface fluid injection stimulates complex hydromechanical interaction, necessitating the integration of geomechanical data across spatial and temporal scales to consider the sophisticated behavior. Induced seismic response is usually associated with the complex reservoir architecture and pre‐existing features that are three‐dimensional, such as local stratigraphy, fractures, faults, and other discontinuities. This study encompasses laboratory characterization of the coupled hydromechanical response of cores extracted from rock formations in Illinois Basin: reservoir ‐ Mt. Simon sandstone, basal seal ‐ Argenta sandstone, and crystalline basement ‐ Precambrian rhyolite. High‐resolution numerical modeling allows considering the three‐dimensional complexity of the Illinois Basin Decatur Project with spatial resolution comparable to one of the active seismic surveys. A detailed reconstruction of the evolving state of stress in formations lacking direct stress measurements is achieved by numerical modeling that integrated laboratory‐derived hydromechanical properties, a porosity‐permeability relationship, active seismic data, and an inverted three‐dimensional porosity distribution. It appears that the microseismic clusters, mainly observed in the crystalline basement during the injection, are linked to zones experiencing more critically stressed conditions prior to injection. These zones have a potential for reactivation during the injection and are attributed to the specific local stratigraphy of the injection site, as well as transfer of triggering perturbations during the injection.

Bondarenko, N. [University of Illinois Urbana‐Cham↗
NASA NTRS1976

Tectonic structure of Alaska as evidenced by ERTS imagery and ongoing seismicity

The author has identified the following significant results. At least three seismically active faults were identified which had not been previously mapped. One of these passes near the proposed site of a hydroelectric project on the Susitna River. Evidence of the state's past deformational history was obtained, indicating that right lateral offset has occurred sequentially from the northern part of the state to the southern. An apparent fault passes near Fairbanks, and is presumably the source of much seismic activity in the area.

Gedney, L. D.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Ar Atmosphere: Implications for Structure and Composition of Mercury's Crust

We examine the possibilities of sustaining an argon atmosphere by diffusion from the upper 10 km of crust, and alternatively by effusion from a molten or previously molten area at great depth . Ar-40 in the atmospheres of the planets is a measure of potassium abundance in the interiors since Ar-40 is a product of radiogenic decay of K-40 by electron capture with the subsequent emission of a 1.46 eV gamma-ray. Although the Ar-40 in the earth's atmosphere is expected to have accumulated since the late bombardment, Ar-40 in surface-bounded exospheres is eroded quickly by photoionization and electron impact ionization. Thus, the argon content in the exospheres of the Moon, Mercury and probably Europa is representative of current effusion rather than accumulation over the lifetime of the body. Argon content will be a function of K content, temperature, grain size distribution, connected pore volume and possible seismic activity. Although Mercury and the Moon differ in many details, we can train the solutions to diffusion equations to predict the average lunar atmosphere. Then these parameters can be varied for Hermean conditions. Assuming a lunar crustal potassium abundance of 300 ppm, the observed argon atmosphere requires equilibrium between the argon production in the upper 9 Km of the moon (1.135 x 10(exp -3) cm(exp -3) s(exp -1)) and its loss. Hodges et al. conclude that this loss rate and the observed time variability requires argon release through seismic activity, tapping a deep argon source. An important observation is that the extreme surface of the Moon is enhanced in argon rather than depleted, as one would expect from outgassing of radiogenic argon. Manka and Michel concluded that ion implantation explains the surface enhancement of Ar-40. About half of the argon ions produced in the lunar atmosphere would return to the surface, where they would become embedded in the rocks. Similarly, at Mercury we expect the surface rocks to be enhanced in Ar-40 wherever the magnetosphere has been open over time. Thus the measurement of surface composition will reveal the long-term effects of solar wind-magnetosphere interaction. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Killen, R. M.↗