Controlling Induced Earthquake Magnitude by Cycled Fluid Injection -data

Fluid injection-triggered earthquakes have been documented worldwide. Although it is clear that fluid pressure triggers fault slip and results in induced earthquakes, the possibility of controlling induced earthquakes through managed metering of water injection has not been rigorously examined. We performed experiments with single and cycled injection into laboratory faults. Our results show that cycled water injection into a fault could successfully reduce both the maximum magnitude of the individual induced seismic events and the total radiated energy - by setting appropriate water injection schedules. The magnitude and number of induced events are dependent on the number of water injection cycles and rock permeability. These results may provide a better understanding of managing and preventing large induced earthquakes.