Abruzzi region (central Italy) producing vast damage in the L'Aquila town and surroundings. In this paper we present the location and geometry of the fault system as obtained by the analysis of main shock and aftershocks recorded by permanent and temporary networks. The distribution of aftershocks, 712 selected events with M L ! 2.3 and 20 with M L ! 4.0, defines a complex, 40 km long, NW trending extensional structure. The main shock fault segment extends for 15-18 km and dips at 45°to the SW, between 10 and 2 km depth. The extent of aftershocks coincides with the surface trace of the Paganica fault, a poorly known normal fault that, after the event, has been quoted to accommodate the extension of the area. We observe a migration of seismicity to the north on an echelon fault that can rupture in future large earthquakes.
Wastewater injection into a high‐rate well in the Val d'Agri oilfield, the largest in onshore Europe, has induced swarm microseismicity since the initiation of disposal in 2006. To investigate the reservoir structure and to track seismicity, we performed a high‐spatial resolution local earthquake tomography using 1,281 natural and induced earthquakes recorded by local networks. The properties of the carbonate reservoir (rock fracturing, pore fluid pressure) and inherited faults control the occurrence and spatiotemporal distribution of seismicity. A low‐Vp, high‐Vp/Vs region under the well represents a fluid saturated fault zone ruptured by induced seismicity. High‐Vp, high‐Vp/Vs bumps match reservoir culminations indicating saturated liquid‐bearing zones, whereas a very low Vp, low Vp/Vs anomaly might represent a strongly fractured and depleted zone of the hydrocarbon reservoir characterized by significant fluid withdrawal. The comprehensive picture of the injection‐linked seismicity obtained by integrating reservoir‐scale tomography, high‐precision earthquake locations, and geophysical and injection data suggests that the driving mechanism is the channeling of pore pressure perturbations through a high permeable fault damage zone within the reservoir. The damage zone surrounds a Pliocene reverse fault optimally oriented in the current extensional stress field. The ruptured damage zone measures 2 km along strike and 3 km along dip and is confined between low permeability ductile formations. Injection pressure is the primary parameter controlling seismicity rate. Our study underlines that local earthquake tomography also using wastewater‐induced seismicity can give useful insights into the physical mechanism leading to these earthquakes.
S U M M A R YShear wave splitting is measured at 19 seismic stations of a temporary network deployed in the Val d'Agri area to record low-magnitude seismic activity. The splitting results suggest the presence of an anisotropic layer between the surface and 15 km depth (i.e. above the hypocentres). The dominant fast polarization direction strikes NW-SE parallel to the Apennines orogen and is approximately parallel to the maximum horizontal stress in the region, as well as to major normal faults bordering the Val d'Agri basin. The size of the normalized delay times in the study region is about 0.01 s km −1 , suggesting 4.5 per cent shear wave velocity anisotropy (SWVA). On the south-western flank of the basin, where most of the seismicity occurs, we found larger values of normalized delay times, between 0.017 and 0.02 s km −1 . These high values suggest a 10 per cent of SWVA.These parameters agree with an interpretation of seismic anisotropy in terms of the Extensive-Dilatancy Anisotropy (EDA) model that considers the rock volume pervaded by fluid-saturated microcracks aligned by the active stress field. Anisotropic parameters are consistent with borehole image logs from deep exploration wells in the Val d'Agri oil field that detect pervasive fluid saturated microcracks striking NW-SE parallel to the maximum horizontal stress in the carbonatic reservoir. However, we cannot rule out the contribution of aligned macroscopic fractures because the main Quaternary normal faults are parallel to the maximum horizontal stress.The strong anisotropy and the seismicity concentration testify for active deformation along the SW flank of the basin.
We present the largest dataset of anisotropic high‐quality parameters (~12,000) for the Amatrice‐Visso‐Norcia seismic sequence and investigate the physical mechanisms causing crustal anisotropy and its relation with crustal deformation, stress field, fluids, and earthquake generation. We performed shear wave splitting analysis on ~40,000 aftershocks recorded at 31 seismic stations during the first six months of the sequence following the 24 August 2016 Mw 6.0, Amatrice mainshock. Automatic and manual‐revised P‐ and S‐picking and high‐precision locations are used to delineate the fracturing pattern and spatio‐temporal variations in the anisotropic parameters: fast direction polarization (φ) and delay time (δt). The mean φ strikes N146°, parallel to the extensional Quaternary fault systems, and to the NW‐SE local active SHmax as proposed by the extensive dilatancy anisotropy model. Locally, φ directions outline the pattern of microscale and mesoscale structures that we relate to structural‐controlled anisotropy. Temporal variations of anisotropic parameters allowed us to deduce stress‐induced and pervasive fluid‐filled stress‐aligned crack systems as the prevalent anisotropic mechanisms in some sectors. Higher δt (>0.072 s) and higher anisotropy percentage (>1.5–2.0%) are found at the boundaries and in the western side of the activated fault systems, where heavily fractured carbonates are present. The fault network along with the lithological heterogeneities present in the area may act as a structural barrier along which fluids are channeled or trapped, thus causing overpressured fluid zones. Observations of shear‐wave splitting parameters during a seismic sequence can monitor the buildup of stress before earthquakes and the stress release as earthquakes occur.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations –citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.