-
oa The Data Acquisition and Study program into Induced Seismicity in the Groningen Gas Field, N.E. Netherlands
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, 81st EAGE Conference and Exhibition 2019, Jun 2019, Volume 2019, p.1 - 1
Abstract
The Mw 3.6 earthquake near the village of Huizinge on the 16th August 2012, prompted field operator, NAM, to expand its research program into the induced seismicity in the Groningen field. I will introduce the programme and the issue of induced seismicity in Groningen to the EAGE community in this EAGE workshop on induced seismicity in London.
The studies program consists of two parts. The main research effort focuses on the assessment of hazard and risk the community living above the field is exposed to. This is a very targeted program consisting of monitoring of the seismicity in the field area and studies supporting the modelling of the link between the cause, the production of gas from the Groningen field, to the effect, building damage and potential risk to people in and around these buildings. This part of the research was executed under tight deadlines set by the regulator and Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. Each of the studies in this part of the program aimed at improving the modelling of elements in the cause and effect chain.
Additionally, a scientific program was set up with the aim to better understand the physical processes leading to the destabilisation of the faults in the field and the induced seismicity. The components of this research are (1) geophysical data acquisition, analysis and modelling (2) geomechanical modelling on a single fault and at the field scale and (3) laboratory experiments on the complex coupled processes controlling rupture of faults and friction during the fault movement. Synthesis of these field and laboratory observations with the geomechanical models of faults has much improved understanding of the coupling between gas production, reservoir deformation, fault rupture and seismic wave generation. Moreover, huge amounts of data have been produced and are available for advancing this understanding further, in the context of Groningen and of induced seismicity in general.