Poroelastic stress relaxation, slip stress transfer and friction weakening controlled post-injection seismicity at the Basel Enhanced Geothermal System

Post-injection seismicity at the enhanced geothermal system of Basel, Switzerland, was caused by poroelastic stress relaxation of stabilized faults during injection, according to numerical simulations of the stress field applied on a fault network. Induced seismicity is a limiting factor for the development of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). Its causal mechanisms are not fully understood, especially those of post-injection seismicity. To better understand the mechanisms that induced seismicity in the controversial case of the Basel EGS (Switzerland), we perform coupled hydro-mechanical simulation of the plastic response of a discrete pre-existing fault network built on the basis of the monitored seismicity. Simulation results show that the faults located in the vicinity of the injection well fail during injection mainly triggered by pore pressure buildup. Poroelastic stressing, which may be stabilizing or destabilizing depending on the fault orientation, reaches further than pressure diffusion, having a greater effect on distant faults. After injection stops, poroelastic stress relaxation leads to the immediate rupture of previously stabilized faults. Shear-slip stress transfer, which also contributes to post-injection reactivation of distant faults, is enhanced in faults with slip-induced friction weakening.

Automated summary

Post-injection seismicity at the enhanced geothermal system of Basel, Switzerland, was caused by poroelastic stress relaxation of stabilized faults during injection. Numerical simulations of the stress field applied on a fault network indicated that faults located near the injection well failed due to pore pressure buildup, while distant faults were affected by poroelastic stressing and shear-slip stress transfer. After injection stopped, the poroelastic stress relaxation led to the immediate rupture of previously stabilized faults.