Articles | Volume 10, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-2115-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-2115-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
18 Dec 2019
Research article |
| 18 Dec 2019
| 18 Dec 2019
A numerical sensitivity study of how permeability, porosity, geological structure, and hydraulic gradient control the lifetime of a geothermal reservoir
Johanna F. Bauer
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Structural Geology and Geodynamics, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
now at: Department of Rock Physics and Borehole Geophysics, Leibniz
Institute for Applied Geophysics, 30655 Hanover, Germany
Michael Krumbholz
independent researcher
Elco Luijendijk
Department of Structural Geology and Geodynamics, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
David C. Tanner
Department of Seismic, Gravimetry, and Magnetics, Leibniz Institute
for Applied Geophysics, 30655 Hanover, Germany
Related authors
Sonja H. Wadas, Johanna F. Krumbholz, Vladimir Shipilin, Michael Krumbholz, David C. Tanner, and Hermann Buness
Solid Earth, 14, 871–908, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-871-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-871-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The geothermal carbonate reservoir below Munich, Germany, is extremely heterogeneous because it is controlled by many factors like lithology, diagenesis, karstification, and tectonic deformation. We used a 3D seismic single- and multi-attribute analysis combined with well data and a neural-net-based lithology classification to obtain an improved reservoir concept outlining its structural and diagenetic evolution and to identify high-quality reservoir zones in the Munich area.
Bennet Schuster, Lukas Gegg, Sebastian Schaller, Marius W. Buechi, David C. Tanner, Ulrike Wielandt-Schuster, Flavio S. Anselmetti, and Frank Preusser
Sci. Dril., 33, 191–206, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-33-191-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-33-191-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Tannwald Basin, explored by drilling and formed by repeated advances of the Rhine Glacier, reveals key geological insights. Ice-contact sediments and evidence of deformation highlight gravitational and glaciotectonic processes. ICDP DOVE 5068_1_C core data define lithofacies associations, reflecting basin infill cycles, marking at least three distinct glacial advances. Integrating these findings aids understanding the broader glacial evolution of the Lake Constance amphitheater.
Björn Nyberg, Roger Sayre, and Elco Luijendijk
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 1653–1663, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1653-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1653-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the spatial and temporal distribution of surface water is crucial for effective water resource management, maintaining ecosystem health and assessing flood risks. This study examined permanent and seasonal rivers and lakes globally over 38 years, uncovering a statistically significant expansion in seasonal extent captured in the new SARL database. The findings offer valuable resources for assessing the impact of changing river and lake extents on ecosystems and human livelihoods.
Sonja H. Wadas, Johanna F. Krumbholz, Vladimir Shipilin, Michael Krumbholz, David C. Tanner, and Hermann Buness
Solid Earth, 14, 871–908, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-871-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-871-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The geothermal carbonate reservoir below Munich, Germany, is extremely heterogeneous because it is controlled by many factors like lithology, diagenesis, karstification, and tectonic deformation. We used a 3D seismic single- and multi-attribute analysis combined with well data and a neural-net-based lithology classification to obtain an improved reservoir concept outlining its structural and diagenetic evolution and to identify high-quality reservoir zones in the Munich area.
Christoph Behrens, Elco Luijendijk, Phillip Kreye, Florian Panitz, Merle Bjorge, Marlene Gelleszun, Alexander Renz, Shorash Miro, and Wolfram Rühaak
Adv. Geosci., 58, 109–119, https://doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-58-109-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-58-109-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The mathematical basics of a numerical code developed specifically for the search of a site for high-level radioactive waste in Germany is presented.
The code is developed in accordance to the specific regulations. First tests of the code are shown.
Kevin Alexander Frings, Elco Luijendijk, István Dunkl, Peter Kukla, Nicolas Villamizar-Escalante, Herfried Madritsch, and Christoph von Hagke
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1323, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1323, 2022
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
We use apatite (U-Th-Sm)/He thermochronologic on detrital grains sampled from a well to unravel the exhumation history of the northern Swiss Molasse Basin and reconcile seemingly contradicting previous studies. With single grain ages and provenance ages, we achieve to narrowly constrain exhumation magnitude and timing and embed previous results into a single consistent thermal history. This includes proof for hydrothermal activity and a contribution to the discussion on exhumation drivers.
Sonja H. Wadas, Hermann Buness, Raphael Rochlitz, Peter Skiba, Thomas Günther, Michael Grinat, David C. Tanner, Ulrich Polom, Gerald Gabriel, and Charlotte M. Krawczyk
Solid Earth, 13, 1673–1696, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1673-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1673-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The dissolution of rocks poses a severe hazard because it can cause subsidence and sinkhole formation. Based on results from our study area in Thuringia, Germany, using P- and SH-wave reflection seismics, electrical resistivity and electromagnetic methods, and gravimetry, we develop a geophysical investigation workflow. This workflow enables identifying the initial triggers of subsurface dissolution and its control factors, such as structural constraints, fluid pathways, and mass movement.
Elco Luijendijk
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 1–22, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-1-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-1-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The distance between rivers is a noticeable feature of the Earth's surface. Previous work has indicated that subsurface groundwater flow may be important for drainage density. Here, I present a new model that combines subsurface and surface water flow and erosion, and demonstrates that groundwater exerts an important control on drainage density. Streams that incise rapidly can capture the groundwater discharge of adjacent streams, which may cause these streams to become dry and stop incising.
Elco Luijendijk, Leo Benard, Sarah Louis, Christoph von Hagke, and Jonas Kley
Solid Earth Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/se-2021-22, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-2021-22, 2021
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Our knowledge of the geological history of mountain belts relies strongly on thermochronometers, methods that reconstruct the temperature history of rocks found in mountain belts. Here we provide a new equation that describes the motion of rocks in a simplified, wedge-shaped representation of a mountain belt. The equation can be used to interpret thermochronometers and can help quantify the deformation, uplift and erosion history of mountain belts.
Vladimir Shipilin, David C. Tanner, Hartwig von Hartmann, and Inga Moeck
Solid Earth, 11, 2097–2117, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-2097-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-2097-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
In our work, we carry out an in-depth structural analysis of a geometrically decoupled fault system in the southern German Molasse Basin using a high-resolution 3-D seismic dataset. Based on this analysis, we reconstruct the tectonic history and changes in the stress regimes to explain the structure and evolution of faults. The results contribute in understanding the driving mechanisms behind formation, propagation, and reactivation of faults during foreland basin formation.
Elco Luijendijk
Geosci. Model Dev., 12, 4061–4073, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-4061-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-4061-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents a new model code that can be used to date the flow of hot fluids in the crust and the age of hot springs. It does so by modelling the thermal effects of fluid flow in the subsurface and by comparing the results with low-temperature thermochronology, which is a widely used method to quantify the temperature history of minerals and rocks. The model also demonstrates the effects of the depth and angle of permeable faults on temperatures of hot springs.
Sonja H. Wadas, David C. Tanner, Ulrich Polom, and Charlotte M. Krawczyk
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 2335–2350, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-2335-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-2335-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
In 2010 a sinkhole opened up in the urban area of Schmalkalden, Germany. Shear-wave reflection seismic profiles were carried out around the sinkhole to investigate the reasons for the collapse. A strike-slip fault and a fracture network were identified that serve as fluid pathways for water-leaching soluble rocks near the surface. The more complex the fault geometry and interaction between faults, the more prone an area is to sinkhole occurrence.
H. Baumgarten, T. Wonik, D. C. Tanner, A. Francke, B. Wagner, G. Zanchetta, R. Sulpizio, B. Giaccio, and S. Nomade
Biogeosciences, 12, 7453–7465, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-7453-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-7453-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Gamma ray (GR) fluctuations and K values from downhole logging data obtained in the sediments of Lake Ohrid correlate with the global climate reference record (LR04 stack from δ18O) (Lisiecki and Raymo, 2005). GR and K values are considered a reliable proxy to depict glacial-interglacial cycles and document warm, humid and cold, drier periods. A robust age model for the downhole logging data over the past 630kyr was established and will play a crucial role for other working groups.
Related subject area
Subject area: Tectonic plate interactions, magma genesis, and lithosphere deformation at all scales | Editorial team: Structural geology and tectonics, paleoseismology, rock physics, experimental deformation | Discipline: Structural geology
Driven magmatism and crustal thinning of coastal southern China in response to subduction
Selection and characterization of the target fault for fluid-induced activation and earthquake rupture experiments
Naturally fractured reservoir characterisation in heterogeneous sandstones: insight for uranium in situ recovery (Imouraren, Niger)
Influence of water on crystallographic preferred orientation patterns in a naturally-deformed quartzite
Multiscalar 3D temporal structural characterisation of Smøla island, mid-Norwegian passive margin: an analogue for unravelling the tectonic history of offshore basement highs
Localized shear versus distributed strain accumulation as shear-accommodation mechanisms in ductile shear zones: Constraining their dictating factors
Impact of faults on the remote stress state
Subduction plate interface shear stress associated with rapid subduction at deep slow earthquake depths: example from the Sanbagawa belt, southwestern Japan
Multiple phase rifting and subsequent inversion in the West Netherlands Basin: implications for geothermal reservoir characterization
Analogue modelling of basin inversion: implications for the Araripe Basin (Brazil)
Geomorphic expressions of active rifting reflect the role of structural inheritance: A new model for the evolution of the Shanxi Rift, North China
Natural fracture patterns at Swift Reservoir anticline, NW Montana: the influence of structural position and lithology from multiple observation scales
Rapid hydration and weakening of anhydrite under stress: implications for natural hydration in the Earth's crust and mantle
Analogue experiments on releasing and restraining bends and their application to the study of the Barents Shear Margin
Structural framework and timing of the Pahtohavare Cu ± Au deposits, Kiruna mining district, Sweden
Does the syn- versus post-rift thickness ratio have an impact on the inversion-related structural style?
Inversion of accommodation zones in salt-bearing extensional systems: insights from analog modeling
Structural control of inherited salt structures during inversion of a domino basement-fault system from an analogue modelling approach
Kinematics and time-resolved evolution of the main thrust-sense shear zone in the Eo-Alpine orogenic wedge (the Vinschgau Shear Zone, eastern Alps)
Role of inheritance during tectonic inversion of a rift system in basement-involved to salt-decoupled transition: analogue modelling and application to the Pyrenean–Biscay system
Water release and homogenization by dynamic recrystallization of quartz
Hydrothermal activity of the Lake Abhe geothermal field (Djibouti): Structural controls and paths for further exploration
Time-dependent frictional properties of granular materials used in analogue modelling: implications for mimicking fault healing during reactivation and inversion
Large grain-size-dependent rheology contrasts of halite at low differential stress: evidence from microstructural study of naturally deformed gneissic Zechstein 2 rock salt (Kristallbrockensalz) from the northern Netherlands
Analogue modelling of the inversion of multiple extensional basins in foreland fold-and-thrust belts
A contribution to the quantification of crustal shortening and kinematics of deformation across the Western Andes ( ∼ 20–22° S)
Rift thermal inheritance in the SW Alps (France): insights from RSCM thermometry and 1D thermal numerical modelling
The Luangwa Rift Active Fault Database and fault reactivation along the southwestern branch of the East African Rift
Clustering has a meaning: optimization of angular similarity to detect 3D geometric anomalies in geological terrains
Shear zone evolution and the path of earthquake rupture
Mechanical compaction mechanisms in the input sediments of the Sumatra subduction complex – insights from microstructural analysis of cores from IODP Expedition 362
Detecting micro fractures: a comprehensive comparison of conventional and machine-learning-based segmentation methods
Multiscale lineament analysis and permeability heterogeneity of fractured crystalline basement blocks
Structural characterization and K–Ar illite dating of reactivated, complex and heterogeneous fault zones: lessons from the Zuccale Fault, Northern Apennines
How do differences in interpreting seismic images affect estimates of geological slip rates?
Progressive veining during peridotite carbonation: insights from listvenites in Hole BT1B, Samail ophiolite (Oman)
Tectonic evolution of the Indio Hills segment of the San Andreas fault in southern California, southwestern USA
Structural diagenesis in ultra-deep tight sandstones in the Kuqa Depression, Tarim Basin, China
Variscan structures and their control on latest to post-Variscan basin architecture: insights from the westernmost Bohemian Massif and southeastern Germany
Multi-disciplinary characterizations of the BedrettoLab – a new underground geoscience research facility
Biotite supports long-range diffusive transport in dissolution–precipitation creep in halite through small porosity fluctuations
De-risking the energy transition by quantifying the uncertainties in fault stability
Virtual field trip to the Esla Nappe (Cantabrian Zone, NW Spain): delivering traditional geological mapping skills remotely using real data
Marine forearc structure of eastern Java and its role in the 1994 Java tsunami earthquake
Roughness of fracture surfaces in numerical models and laboratory experiments
Impact of basement thrust faults on low-angle normal faults and rift basin evolution: a case study in the Enping sag, Pearl River Basin
Evidence for and significance of the Late Cretaceous Asteroussia event in the Gondwanan Ios basement terranes
Investigating spatial heterogeneity within fracture networks using hierarchical clustering and graph distance metrics
Dating folding beyond folding, from layer-parallel shortening to fold tightening, using mesostructures: lessons from the Apennines, Pyrenees, and Rocky Mountains
Deformation-enhanced diagenesis and bacterial proliferation in the Nankai accretionary prism
Jinbao Su, Wenbin Zhu, and Guangwei Li
Solid Earth, 15, 1133–1141, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1133-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1133-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The late Mesozoic igneous rocks in the South China Block exhibit flare-ups and lulls, which form in compressional or extensional backgrounds. The ascending of magma forms a mush-like head and decreases crustal thickness. The presence of faults and pre-existing magmas will accelerate emplacement of underplating magma. The magmatism at different times may be formed under similar subduction conditions, and the boundary compression forces will delay magma ascent.
Peter Achtziger-Zupančič, Alberto Ceccato, Alba Simona Zappone, Giacomo Pozzi, Alexis Shakas, Florian Amann, Whitney Maria Behr, Daniel Escallon Botero, Domenico Giardini, Marian Hertrich, Mohammadreza Jalali, Xiaodong Ma, Men-Andrin Meier, Julian Osten, Stefan Wiemer, and Massimo Cocco
Solid Earth, 15, 1087–1112, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1087-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1087-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We detail the selection and characterization of a fault zone for earthquake experiments in the Fault Activation and Earthquake Ruptures (FEAR) project at the Bedretto Lab. FEAR, which studies earthquake processes, overcame data collection challenges near faults. The fault zone in Rotondo granite was selected based on geometry, monitorability, and hydro-mechanical properties. Remote sensing, borehole logging, and geological mapping were used to create a 3D model for precise monitoring.
Maxime Jamet, Gregory Ballas, Roger Soliva, Olivier Gerbeaud, Thierry Lefebvre, Christine Leredde, and Didier Loggia
Solid Earth, 15, 895–920, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-895-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-895-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study characterizes the Tchirezrine II sandstone reservoir in northern Niger. Crucial for potential uranium in situ recovery (ISR), our multifaceted approach reveals (i) a network of homogeneously distributed orthogonal structures, (ii) the impact of clustered E–W fault structures on anisotropic fluid flow, and (iii) local changes in the matrix behaviour of the reservoir as a function of the density and nature of the deformation structure.
Jeffrey M. Rahl, Brendan Moehringer, Kenneth S. Befus, and John S. Singleton
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1567, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1567, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
At the high temperatures present in the deeper crust, minerals such as quartz can flow much like silly putty. The detailed mechanisms of how atoms are reorganized depends upon several factors, such as the temperature and the rate of which the mineral changes shape. We present observations from a naturally-deformed rock showing that the amount of water present also influences the type of deformation in quartz, with implications for geological interpretations.
Matthew S. Hodge, Guri Venvik, Jochen Knies, Roelant van der Lelij, Jasmin Schönenberger, Øystein Nordgulen, Marco Brönner, Aziz Nasuti, and Giulio Viola
Solid Earth, 15, 589–615, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-589-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-589-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Smøla island, in the mid-Norwegian margin, has complex fracture and fault patterns resulting from tectonic activity. This study uses a multiple-method approach to unravel Smøla's tectonic history. We found five different phases of deformation related to various fracture geometries and minerals dating back hundreds of millions of years. 3D models of these features visualise these structures in space. This approach may help us to understand offshore oil and gas reservoirs hosted in the basement.
Pramit Chatterjee, Arnab Roy, and Nibir Mandal
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1077, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1077, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the strain accumulation processes in ductile shear zones is essential to explain the failure mechanisms at great crustal depths. This study explores the rheological and kinematic factors determining the varying modes of shear accommodation in natural shear zones. Numerical simulations suggest that an interplay of the following parameters: initial bulk viscosity, bulk shear rate, and internal cohesion governs the dominance of one accommodation mechanism over the other.
Karsten Reiter, Oliver Heidbach, and Moritz O. Ziegler
Solid Earth, 15, 305–327, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-305-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-305-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
It is generally assumed that faults have an influence on the stress state of the Earth’s crust. It is questionable whether this influence is still present far away from a fault. Simple numerical models were used to investigate the extent of the influence of faults on the stress state. Several models with different fault representations were investigated. The stress fluctuations further away from the fault (> 1 km) are very small.
Yukinojo Koyama, Simon R. Wallis, and Takayoshi Nagaya
Solid Earth, 15, 143–166, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-143-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-143-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Stress along a subduction plate boundary is important for understanding subduction phenomena such as earthquakes. We estimated paleo-stress using quartz recrystallized grain size combined with deformation temperature and P–T paths of exhumed rocks. The obtained results show differential stresses of 30.8–82.7 MPa consistent over depths of 17–27 km in the paleo-subduction boundary. The obtained stress may represent the initial conditions under which slow earthquakes nucleated in the same domain.
Annelotte Weert, Kei Ogata, Francesco Vinci, Coen Leo, Giovanni Bertotti, Jerome Amory, and Stefano Tavani
Solid Earth, 15, 121–141, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-121-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-121-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
On the road to a sustainable planet, geothermal energy is considered one of the main substitutes when it comes to heating. The geological history of an area can have a major influence on the application of these geothermal systems, as demonstrated in the West Netherlands Basin. Here, multiple episodes of rifting and subsequent basin inversion have controlled the distribution of the reservoir rocks, thus influencing the locations where geothermal energy can be exploited.
Pâmela C. Richetti, Frank Zwaan, Guido Schreurs, Renata S. Schmitt, and Timothy C. Schmid
Solid Earth, 14, 1245–1266, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1245-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1245-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Araripe Basin in NE Brazil was originally formed during Cretaceous times, as South America and Africa broke up. The basin is an important analogue to offshore South Atlantic break-up basins; its sediments were uplifted and are now found at 1000 m height, allowing for studies thereof, but the cause of the uplift remains debated. Here we ran a series of tectonic laboratory experiments that show how a specific plate tectonic configuration can explain the evolution of the Araripe Basin.
Malte Froemchen, Ken J. W. McCaffrey, Mark B. Allen, Jeroen van Hunen, Thomas B. Phillips, and Yueren Xu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2563, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2563, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Shanxi Rift is a young active rift in North China that formed superimposed on a Proterozoic orogen. The impact of these structures on the active rift faults is poorly constrained. Here we quantify the landscape response to active faulting and compare these to published maps of inherited structures. We find that inherited structures played an important role in the segmentation of the Shanxi Rift and in the development of Rift Interaction Zones, the most active regions of the Shanxi Rift.
Adam J. Cawood, Hannah Watkins, Clare E. Bond, Marian J. Warren, and Mark A. Cooper
Solid Earth, 14, 1005–1030, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1005-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1005-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Here we test conceptual models of fracture development by investigating fractures across multiple scales. We find that most fractures increase in abundance towards the fold hinge, and we interpret these as being fold related. Other fractures at the site show inconsistent orientations and are unrelated to fold formation. Our results show that predicting fracture patterns requires the consideration of multiple geologic variables.
Johanna Heeb, David Healy, Nicholas E. Timms, and Enrique Gomez-Rivas
Solid Earth, 14, 985–1003, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-985-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-985-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Hydration of rocks is a key process in the Earth’s crust and mantle that is accompanied by changes in physical traits and mechanical behaviour of rocks. This study assesses the influence of stress on hydration reaction kinetics and mechanics in experiments on anhydrite. We show that hydration occurs readily under stress and results in localized hydration along fractures and mechanic weakening. New gypsum growth is selective and depends on the stress field and host anhydrite crystal orientation.
Roy Helge Gabrielsen, Panagiotis Athanasios Giannenas, Dimitrios Sokoutis, Ernst Willingshofer, Muhammad Hassaan, and Jan Inge Faleide
Solid Earth, 14, 961–983, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-961-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-961-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Barents Shear Margin defines the border between the relatively shallow Barents Sea that is situated on a continental plate and the deep ocean. This margin's evolution history was probably influenced by plate tectonic reorganizations. From scaled experiments, we deduced several types of structures (faults, folds, and sedimentary basins) that help us to improve the understanding of the history of the opening of the North Atlantic.
Leslie Logan, Ervin Veress, Joel B. H. Andersson, Olof Martinsson, and Tobias E. Bauer
Solid Earth, 14, 763–784, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-763-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-763-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Pahtohavare Cu ± Au deposits in the Kiruna mining district have a dubious timing of formation and have not been contextualized within an up-to-date tectonic framework. Structural mapping was carried out to reveal that the deposits are hosted in brittle structures that cut a noncylindrical, SE-plunging anticline constrained to have formed during the late-Svecokarelian orogeny. These results show that Cu ± Au mineralization formed more than ca. 80 Myr after iron oxide–apatite mineralization.
Alexandra Tamas, Dan M. Tamas, Gabor Tari, Csaba Krezsek, Alexandru Lapadat, and Zsolt Schleder
Solid Earth, 14, 741–761, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-741-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-741-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Tectonic processes are complex and often difficult to understand due to the limitations of surface or subsurface data. One such process is inversion tectonics, which means that an area initially developed in an extension (such as the opening of an ocean) is reversed to compression (the process leading to mountain building). In this research, we use a laboratory method (analogue modelling), and with the help of a sandbox, we try to better understand structures (folds/faults) related to inversion.
Elizabeth Parker Wilson, Pablo Granado, Pablo Santolaria, Oriol Ferrer, and Josep Anton Muñoz
Solid Earth, 14, 709–739, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-709-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-709-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This work focuses on the control of accommodation zones on extensional and subsequent inversion in salt-detached domains using sandbox analogue models. During extension, the transfer zone acts as a pathway for the movement of salt, changing the expected geometries. When inverted, the salt layer and syn-inversion sedimentation control the deformation style in the salt-detached cover system. Three natural cases are compared to the model results and show similar inversion geometries.
Oriol Ferrer, Eloi Carola, and Ken McClay
Solid Earth, 14, 571–589, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-571-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-571-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Using an experimental approach based on scaled sandbox models, this work aims to understand how salt above different rotational fault blocks influences the cover geometry and evolution, first during extension and then during inversion. The results show that inherited salt structures constrain contractional deformation. We show for the first time how welds and fault welds are reopened during contractional deformation, having direct implications for the subsurface exploration of natural resources.
Chiara Montemagni, Stefano Zanchetta, Martina Rocca, Igor M. Villa, Corrado Morelli, Volkmar Mair, and Andrea Zanchi
Solid Earth, 14, 551–570, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-551-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-551-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Vinschgau Shear Zone (VSZ) is one of the largest and most significant shear zones developed within the Late Cretaceous thrust stack in the Austroalpine domain of the eastern Alps. 40Ar / 39Ar geochronology constrains the activity of the VSZ between 97 and 80 Ma. The decreasing vorticity towards the core of the shear zone, coupled with the younging of mylonites, points to a shear thinning behavior. The deepest units of the Eo-Alpine orogenic wedge were exhumed along the VSZ.
Jordi Miró, Oriol Ferrer, Josep Anton Muñoz, and Gianreto Manastchal
Solid Earth, 14, 425–445, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-425-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-425-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Using the Asturian–Basque–Cantabrian system and analogue (sandbox) models, this work focuses on the linkage between basement-controlled and salt-decoupled domains and how deformation is accommodated between the two during extension and subsequent inversion. Analogue models show significant structural variability in the transitional domain, with oblique structures that can be strongly modified by syn-contractional sedimentation. Experimental results are consistent with the case study.
Junichi Fukuda, Takamoto Okudaira, and Yukiko Ohtomo
Solid Earth, 14, 409–424, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-409-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-409-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We measured water distributions in deformed quartz by infrared spectroscopy mapping and used the results to discuss changes in water distribution resulting from textural development. Because of the grain size reduction process (dynamic recrystallization), water contents decrease from 40–1750 wt ppm in host grains of ~2 mm to 100–510 wt ppm in recrystallized regions composed of fine grains of ~10 µm. Our results indicate that water is released and homogenized by dynamic recrystallization.
Bastien Walter, Yves Géraud, Alexiane Favier, Nadjib Chibati, and Marc Diraison
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-397, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-397, 2023
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
Lake Abhe in southwestern Djibouti is known for its exposures of massive hydrothermal chimneys and hot springs on the lake’s eastern shore. This study highlights the control of the main structural faults of the area on the development of these hydrothermal features. This work contributes to better understand hydrothermal fluid pathways in this area and may help further exploration for the geothermal development of this remarkable site.
Michael Rudolf, Matthias Rosenau, and Onno Oncken
Solid Earth, 14, 311–331, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-311-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-311-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Analogue models of tectonic processes rely on the reproduction of their geometry, kinematics and dynamics. An important property is fault behaviour, which is linked to the frictional characteristics of the fault gouge. This is represented by granular materials, such as quartz sand. In our study we investigate the time-dependent frictional properties of various analogue materials and highlight their impact on the suitability of these materials for analogue models focusing on fault reactivation.
Jessica Barabasch, Joyce Schmatz, Jop Klaver, Alexander Schwedt, and Janos L. Urai
Solid Earth, 14, 271–291, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-271-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-271-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We analysed Zechstein salt with microscopes and observed specific microstructures that indicate much faster deformation in rock salt with fine halite grains when compared to salt with larger grains. This is important because people build large cavities in the subsurface salt for energy storage or want to deposit radioactive waste inside it. When engineers and scientists use grain-size data and equations that include this mechanism, it will help to make better predictions in geological models.
Nicolás Molnar and Susanne Buiter
Solid Earth, 14, 213–235, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-213-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-213-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Progression of orogenic wedges over pre-existing extensional structures is common in nature, but deciphering the spatio-temporal evolution of deformation from the geological record remains challenging. Our laboratory experiments provide insights on how horizontal stresses are transferred across a heterogeneous crust, constrain which pre-shortening conditions can either favour or hinder the reactivatation of extensional structures, and explain what implications they have on critical taper theory.
Tania Habel, Martine Simoes, Robin Lacassin, Daniel Carrizo, and German Aguilar
Solid Earth, 14, 17–42, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-17-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-17-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Central Andes are one of the most emblematic reliefs on Earth, but their western flank remains understudied. Here we explore two rare key sites in the hostile conditions of the Atacama desert to build cross-sections, quantify crustal shortening, and discuss the timing of this deformation at ∼20–22°S. We propose that the structures of the Western Andes accommodated significant crustal shortening here, but only during the earliest stages of mountain building.
Naïm Célini, Frédéric Mouthereau, Abdeltif Lahfid, Claude Gout, and Jean-Paul Callot
Solid Earth, 14, 1–16, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the peak temperature of sedimentary rocks of the SW Alps (France), using Raman spectroscopy on carbonaceous material. This method provides an estimate of the peak temperature achieved by organic-rich rocks. To determine the timing and the tectonic context of the origin of these temperatures we use 1D thermal modelling. We find that the high temperatures up to 300 °C were achieved during precollisional extensional events, not during tectonic burial in the Western Alps.
Luke N. J. Wedmore, Tess Turner, Juliet Biggs, Jack N. Williams, Henry M. Sichingabula, Christine Kabumbu, and Kawawa Banda
Solid Earth, 13, 1731–1753, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1731-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1731-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Mapping and compiling the attributes of faults capable of hosting earthquakes are important for the next generation of seismic hazard assessment. We document 18 active faults in the Luangwa Rift, Zambia, in an active fault database. These faults are between 9 and 207 km long offset Quaternary sediments, have scarps up to ~30 m high, and are capable of hosting earthquakes from Mw 5.8 to 8.1. We associate the Molaza Fault with surface ruptures from two unattributed M 6+ 20th century earthquakes.
Michał P. Michalak, Lesław Teper, Florian Wellmann, Jerzy Żaba, Krzysztof Gaidzik, Marcin Kostur, Yuriy P. Maystrenko, and Paulina Leonowicz
Solid Earth, 13, 1697–1720, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1697-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1697-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
When characterizing geological/geophysical surfaces, various geometric attributes are calculated, such as dip angle (1D) or dip direction (2D). However, the boundaries between specific values may be subjective and without optimization significance, resulting from using default color palletes. This study proposes minimizing cosine distance among within-cluster observations to detect 3D anomalies. Our results suggest that the method holds promise for identification of megacylinders or megacones.
Erik M. Young, Christie D. Rowe, and James D. Kirkpatrick
Solid Earth, 13, 1607–1629, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1607-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1607-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Studying how earthquakes spread deep within the faults they originate from is crucial to improving our understanding of the earthquake process. We mapped preserved ancient earthquake surfaces that are now exposed in South Africa and studied their relationship with the shape and type of rocks surrounding them. We determined that these surfaces are not random and are instead associated with specific kinds of rocks and that their shape is linked to the evolution of the faults in which they occur.
Sivaji Lahiri, Kitty L. Milliken, Peter Vrolijk, Guillaume Desbois, and Janos L. Urai
Solid Earth, 13, 1513–1539, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1513-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1513-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the mechanism of mechanical compaction is important. Previous studies on mechanical compaction were mostly done by performing experiments. Studies on natural rocks are rare due to compositional heterogeneity of the sedimentary succession with depth. Due to remarkable similarity in composition and grain size, the Sumatra subduction complex provides a unique opportunity to study the micromechanism of mechanical compaction on natural samples.
Dongwon Lee, Nikolaos Karadimitriou, Matthias Ruf, and Holger Steeb
Solid Earth, 13, 1475–1494, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1475-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1475-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This research article focuses on filtering and segmentation methods employed in high-resolution µXRCT studies for crystalline rocks, bearing fractures, or fracture networks, of very small aperture. Specifically, we focus on the identification of artificially induced (via quenching) fractures in Carrara marble samples. Results from the same dataset from all five different methods adopted were produced and compared with each other in terms of their output quality and time efficiency.
Alberto Ceccato, Giulia Tartaglia, Marco Antonellini, and Giulio Viola
Solid Earth, 13, 1431–1453, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1431-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1431-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The Earth's surface is commonly characterized by the occurrence of fractures, which can be mapped, and their can be geometry quantified on digital representations of the surface at different scales of observation. Here we present a series of analytical and statistical tools, which can aid the quantification of fracture spatial distribution at different scales. In doing so, we can improve our understanding of how fracture geometry and geology affect fluid flow within the fractured Earth crust.
Giulio Viola, Giovanni Musumeci, Francesco Mazzarini, Lorenzo Tavazzani, Manuel Curzi, Espen Torgersen, Roelant van der Lelij, and Luca Aldega
Solid Earth, 13, 1327–1351, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1327-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1327-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A structural-geochronological approach helps to unravel the Zuccale Fault's architecture. By mapping its internal structure and dating some of its fault rocks, we constrained a deformation history lasting 20 Myr starting at ca. 22 Ma. Such long activity is recorded by now tightly juxtaposed brittle structural facies, i.e. different types of fault rocks. Our results also have implications on the regional evolution of the northern Apennines, of which the Zuccale Fault is an important structure.
Wan-Lin Hu
Solid Earth, 13, 1281–1290, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1281-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1281-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Having a seismic image is generally expected to enable us to better determine fault geometry and thus estimate geological slip rates accurately. However, the process of interpreting seismic images may introduce unintended uncertainties, which have not yet been widely discussed. Here, a case of a shear fault-bend fold in the frontal Himalaya is used to demonstrate how differences in interpretations can affect the following estimates of slip rates and dependent conclusions.
Manuel D. Menzel, Janos L. Urai, Estibalitz Ukar, Thierry Decrausaz, and Marguerite Godard
Solid Earth, 13, 1191–1218, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1191-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1191-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Mantle rocks can bind large quantities of carbon by reaction with CO2, but this capacity requires fluid pathways not to be clogged by carbonate. We studied mantle rocks from Oman to understand the mechanisms allowing their transformation into carbonate and quartz. Using advanced imaging techniques, we show that abundant veins were essential fluid pathways driving the reaction. Our results show that tectonic stress was important for fracture opening and a key ingredient for carbon fixation.
Jean-Baptiste P. Koehl, Steffen G. Bergh, and Arthur G. Sylvester
Solid Earth, 13, 1169–1190, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1169-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1169-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The San Andreas fault is a major active fault associated with ongoing earthquake sequences in southern California. The present study investigates the development of the Indio Hills area in the Coachella Valley along the main San Andreas fault and the Indio Hills fault. The Indio Hills area is located near an area with high ongoing earthquake activity (Brawley seismic zone), and, therefore, its recent tectonic evolution has implications for earthquake prediction.
Jin Lai, Dong Li, Yong Ai, Hongkun Liu, Deyang Cai, Kangjun Chen, Yuqiang Xie, and Guiwen Wang
Solid Earth, 13, 975–1002, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-975-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-975-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
(1) Structural diagenesis analysis is performed on the ultra-deep tight sandstone. (2) Fracture and intergranular pores are related to the low in situ stress magnitudes. (3) Dissolution is associated with the presence of fracture.
Hamed Fazlikhani, Wolfgang Bauer, and Harald Stollhofen
Solid Earth, 13, 393–416, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-393-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-393-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Interpretation of newly acquired FRANKEN 2D seismic survey data in southeeastern Germany shows that upper Paleozoic low-grade metasedimentary rocks and possible nappe units are transported by Variscan shear zones to ca. 65 km west of the Franconian Fault System (FFS). We show that the locations of post-Variscan upper Carboniferous–Permian normal faults and associated graben and half-graben basins are controlled by the geometry of underlying Variscan shear zones.
Xiaodong Ma, Marian Hertrich, Florian Amann, Kai Bröker, Nima Gholizadeh Doonechaly, Valentin Gischig, Rebecca Hochreutener, Philipp Kästli, Hannes Krietsch, Michèle Marti, Barbara Nägeli, Morteza Nejati, Anne Obermann, Katrin Plenkers, Antonio P. Rinaldi, Alexis Shakas, Linus Villiger, Quinn Wenning, Alba Zappone, Falko Bethmann, Raymi Castilla, Francisco Seberto, Peter Meier, Thomas Driesner, Simon Loew, Hansruedi Maurer, Martin O. Saar, Stefan Wiemer, and Domenico Giardini
Solid Earth, 13, 301–322, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-301-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-301-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Questions on issues such as anthropogenic earthquakes and deep geothermal energy developments require a better understanding of the fractured rock. Experiments conducted at reduced scales but with higher-resolution observations can shed some light. To this end, the BedrettoLab was recently established in an existing tunnel in Ticino, Switzerland, with preliminary efforts to characterize realistic rock mass behavior at the hectometer scale.
Berit Schwichtenberg, Florian Fusseis, Ian B. Butler, and Edward Andò
Solid Earth, 13, 41–64, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-41-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-41-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Hydraulic rock properties such as porosity and permeability are relevant factors that have an impact on groundwater resources, geological repositories and fossil fuel reservoirs. We investigate the influence of chemical compaction upon the porosity evolution in salt–biotite mixtures and related transport length scales by conducting laboratory experiments in combination with 4-D analysis. Our observations invite a renewed discussion of the effect of sheet silicates on chemical compaction.
David Healy and Stephen Paul Hicks
Solid Earth, 13, 15–39, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-15-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-15-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The energy transition requires operations in faulted rocks. To manage the technical challenges and public concern over possible induced earthquakes, we need to quantify the risks. We calculate the probability of fault slip based on uncertain inputs, stresses, fluid pressures, and the mechanical properties of rocks in fault zones. Our examples highlight the specific gaps in our knowledge. Citizen science projects could produce useful data and include the public in the discussions about hazards.
Manuel I. de Paz-Álvarez, Thomas G. Blenkinsop, David M. Buchs, George E. Gibbons, and Lesley Cherns
Solid Earth, 13, 1–14, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We describe a virtual geological mapping course implemented in response to travelling and social restrictions derived from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The course was designed to replicate a physical mapping exercise as closely as possible with the aid of real field data and photographs collected by the authors during previous years in the Cantabrian Zone (NW Spain). The course is delivered through Google Earth via a KMZ file with outcrop descriptions and links to GitHub-hosted photographs.
Yueyang Xia, Jacob Geersen, Dirk Klaeschen, Bo Ma, Dietrich Lange, Michael Riedel, Michael Schnabel, and Heidrun Kopp
Solid Earth, 12, 2467–2477, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2467-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2467-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The 2 June 1994 Java tsunami earthquake ruptured in a seismically quiet subduction zone and generated a larger-than-expected tsunami. Here, we re-process a seismic line across the rupture area. We show that a subducting seamount is located up-dip of the mainshock in a region that did not rupture during the earthquake. Seamount subduction modulates the topography of the marine forearc and acts as a seismic barrier in the 1994 earthquake rupture.
Steffen Abe and Hagen Deckert
Solid Earth, 12, 2407–2424, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2407-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2407-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We use numerical simulations and laboratory experiments on rock samples to investigate how stress conditions influence the geometry and roughness of fracture surfaces. The roughness of the surfaces was analyzed in terms of absolute roughness and scaling properties. The results show that the surfaces are self-affine but with different scaling properties between the numerical models and the real rock samples. Results suggest that stress conditions have little influence on the surface roughness.
Chao Deng, Rixiang Zhu, Jianhui Han, Yu Shu, Yuxiang Wu, Kefeng Hou, and Wei Long
Solid Earth, 12, 2327–2350, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2327-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2327-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study uses seismic reflection data to interpret the geometric relationship and evolution of intra-basement and rift-related structures in the Enping sag in the northern South China Sea. Our observations suggest the primary control of pre-existing thrust faults is the formation of low-angle normal faults, with possible help from low-friction materials, and the significant role of pre-existing basement thrust faults in fault geometry, paleotopography, and syn-rift stratigraphy of rift basins.
Sonia Yeung, Marnie Forster, Emmanuel Skourtsos, and Gordon Lister
Solid Earth, 12, 2255–2275, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2255-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2255-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We do not know when the ancient Tethys Ocean lithosphere began to founder, but one clue can be found in subduction accreted tectonic slices, including Gondwanan basement terranes on the island of Ios, Cyclades, Greece. We propose a 250–300 km southwards jump of the subduction megathrust with a period of flat-slab subduction followed by slab break-off. The initiation and its subsequent rollback of a new subduction zone would explain the onset of Oligo–Miocene extension and accompanying magmatism.
Rahul Prabhakaran, Giovanni Bertotti, Janos Urai, and David Smeulders
Solid Earth, 12, 2159–2209, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2159-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2159-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Rock fractures are organized as networks with spatially varying arrangements. Due to networks' influence on bulk rock behaviour, it is important to quantify network spatial variation. We utilize an approach where fracture networks are treated as spatial graphs. By combining graph similarity measures with clustering techniques, spatial clusters within large-scale fracture networks are identified and organized hierarchically. The method is validated on a dataset with nearly 300 000 fractures.
Olivier Lacombe, Nicolas E. Beaudoin, Guilhem Hoareau, Aurélie Labeur, Christophe Pecheyran, and Jean-Paul Callot
Solid Earth, 12, 2145–2157, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2145-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2145-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This paper aims to illustrate how the timing and duration of contractional deformation associated with folding in orogenic forelands can be constrained by the dating of brittle mesostructures observed in folded strata. The study combines new and already published absolute ages of fractures to provide, for the first time, an educated discussion about the factors controlling the duration of the sequence of deformation encompassing layer-parallel shortening, fold growth, and late fold tightening.
Vincent Famin, Hugues Raimbourg, Muriel Andreani, and Anne-Marie Boullier
Solid Earth, 12, 2067–2085, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2067-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2067-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Sediments accumulated in accretionary prisms are deformed by the compression imposed by plate subduction. Here we show that deformation of the sediments transforms some minerals in them. We suggest that these mineral transformations are due to the proliferation of microorganisms boosted by deformation. Deformation-enhanced microbial proliferation may change our view of sedimentary and tectonic processes in subduction zones.
Cited articles
Agemar, T., Weber, J., and Schulz, R.: Deep geothermal energy production in
Germany, Energies, 7, 4397–4416, https://doi.org/10.3390/en7074397, 2014.
Alava, M. J., Nukala, P. K. V. V., and Zapperi, S.: Size effects in
statistical fracture, J. Phys. D Appl. Phys., 42, 214012,
https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/42/21/214012, 2009.
Aragón-Aguilar, A., Izquierdo-Montalvo, G., López-Blanco, S., and
Arellano-Gómez, V.: Analysis of heterogeneous characteristics in a
geothermal area with low permeability and high temperature, Geosci. Front.,
8, 1039–1050, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2016.10.007, 2017.
Bachu, S.: Synthesis and model of formation-water flow, Alberta Basin,
Canada, AAPG Bull., 79, 1159–1178, 1995.
Bakhsh, K. J., Nakagawa, M., Arshad, M., and Dunnington, L.: Modelling thermal
breakthrough in sedimentary geothermal systems, using COMSOL Multiphysics,
Proceedings, 41st Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering, Stanford,
California, 22–24 February 2016, SGP-TR-209, 2016.
Bär, K.: Untersuchung der tiefengeothermischen Potenziale von Hessen,
PhD thesis, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany, 297 pp.,
available at: http://tuprints.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/3067/ (last access: 8 December 2019), 2012.
Bauer, J. F.: On the significance and predictability of geological
parameters in the exploration for geothermal energy, PhD thesis,
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany, 162 pp., available at:
http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-1735-0000-002E-E3D2-2 (last access: 8 December 2019), 2018.
Bauer, J. F., Krumbholz, M., Meier, S., and Tanner, D. C.: Predictability of
properties of a fractured geothermal reservoir: The opportunities and
limitations of an outcrop analogue study, Geothermal Energy, 5, 24,
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40517-017-0081-0, 2017.
Bear, J.: Dynamics of Fluids in Porous Media, American Elsevier Pub. Co, 764
pp., 1972.
Bear, J.: Modelling flow and contaminant transport in fractured rocks, in:
Flow and contaminant transport in fractured rock, edited by: Bear, J.,
Tsang, C. F., and De Marsily, G., Academic Press, New York, 1–37, 1993.
Bellman, R. E.: Dynamic programming, Dover Publications, New York, 366 pp.,
2003.
Bense, V. F. and Person, M. A.: Faults as conduit-barrier systems to fluid
flow in siliciclastic sedimentary aquifers, Water Resour. Res., 42, W05421,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2005wr004480, 2006.
Bense, V. F., Gleeson, T., Loveless, S. E., Bour, O., and Scibek, J.: Fault
zone hydrogeology, Earth Sci. Rev., 127, 171–192,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2013.09.008, 2013.
Berkowitz, B., Bear, J., and Braester, C.: Continuum models for contaminant
transport in fractured porous formations, Water Resour. Res., 24,
1225–1236, https://doi.org/10.1029/WR024i008p01225, 1988.
Bhatia, S. C.: Geothermal power generation, in: Advanced renewable energy
systems, edited by: Bathia, S. C., Woodhead Publishing India, 334–388,
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-78242-269-3.50014-0, 2014.
Biemans, B. C. B.: The influence of fractures on geothermal heat production
in the Roer Valley Graben, MS thesis, Delft University of Technology, the
Netherlands, 130 pp., 2014.
Birner, J., Bartels, J., Schlagermann, P., Mergner, H., and Wolfgram, M.:
Dichte, Viskosität und Wärmekapazität hochmineralisierter
Thermalwässer in Abhängigkeit von Druck, Temperatur und
Gesamtlösungsinhalt, bbr-Sonderheft Geothermie, 63, 90–97, 2013.
Bjørlykke, K., Mo, A., and Palm, E.: Modelling of thermal convection in
sedimentary basins and its relevance to diagenetic reactions,
Mar. Petrol. Geol., 5, 338–351, https://doi.org/10.1016/0264-8172(88)90027-X, 1988.
Bödvarsson, G. S. and Tsang, C. F.: Injection and thermal breakthrough
in fractured geothermal reservoirs, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 87,
1031–1048, https://doi.org/10.1029/JB087iB02p01031, 1982.
Buness, H., Hartmann, H., Rumpel, H. M., Beilecke, T., Musmann, P., and Schulz,
R.: Seismic exploration of deep hydrogeothermal reservoirs in Germany, in:
Proceedings World Geothermal Congress, Bali, Indonesia, 25–29 April 2010.
Caine, J. S. and Forster, C. B.: Fault zone architecture and fluid flow:
Insights from field data and numerical modeling, in: Faults and subsurface
fluid flow in the shallow crust, edited by: Haneberg, W. C., Mozley, P. S.,
Moore, J. C., and Goodwin, L. B., AGU, Washington DC, 101–127,
https://doi.org/10.1029/GM113p0101, 1999.
Caine, J. S., Evans, J. P., and Forster, C. B.: Fault zone architecture and
permeability structure, Geology, 24, 1025–1028,
https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1996)024<1025:FZAAPS>2.3.CO;2, 1996.
COMSOL: Heat transfer module, user's guide, available at:
https://doc.comsol.com/5.3/doc/com.comsol.help.heat/HeatTransferModuleUsersGuide.pdf (last access: 8 December 2019),
2017.
COMSOL: Subsurface flow module, user's guide (Darcy's flow), available at: https://doc.comsol.com/5.4/doc/com.comsol.help.ssf/SubsurfaceFlowModuleUsersGuide.pdf (last access: 8 December 2019),
2018.
COMSOL Multiphysics®: v. 5.0., COMSOL AB,
Stockholm, Sweden, available at: https://www.comsol.com/support/knowledgebase/1223/, last access: 8 December 2019.
De Marsily, G.: Quantitative hydrogeology: Groundwater hydrology for
engineers, 1st ed., Acad. Press, New York, 434 pp., 1986.
Diaz, A. R., Kaya, E., and Zarrouk, S. J.: Reinjection in geothermal fields
– A worldwide review update, Renew. Sust. Energ. Rev., 53,
105–162, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.07.151, 2016.
DiPippo, R.: Geothermal power plants: Principles, applications and case
studies, 1st ed., Elsevier Science, Oxford, 450 pp., 2005.
Erdwerk: available at: https://www.erdwerk.com/en/trebur, last access:
11 September 2019.
EREC (European Renewable Energy Council): Renewable energy in Europe:
Building markets and capacity, 1st ed., James and James, London, UK, 202
pp., 2004.
Evans, J. P., Forster, C. B., and Goddard, J. V.: Permeability of fault-related
rocks, and implications for hydraulic structure of fault zones, J. Struct.
Geol., 19, 1393–1404,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8141(97)00057-6, 1997.
Fan, Y., Li, H., and Miguez-Macho, G.: Global patterns of groundwater table
depth, Science, 339, 940–943,
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1229881, 2013.
Farrell, N. J. C., Healy, D., and Taylor, C. W.: Anisotropy of permeability
in faulted porous sandstones, J. Struct. Geol., 63, 50–67,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2014.02.008, 2014.
Faulkner, D. R., Jackson, C. A. L., Lunn, R. J., Schlische, R. W., Shipton,
Z. K., Wibberley, C. A. J., and Withjack, M. O.: A review of recent
developments concerning the structure, mechanics and fluid flow properties
of fault zones, J. Struct. Geol., 32, 1557–1575,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2010.06.009, 2010.
Freeze, R. A. and Cherry, J. A.: Groundwater, 1st ed., Prentice-Hall, USA,
604 pp., 1979
Freudenthal, A. M.: Statistical approach to brittle fracture, in: Fracture,
an advanced treatise, 2nd ed., edited by: Liebowitz, H., Academic Press,
591–619, 1968.
Garven, G.: Continental-Scale Groundwater Flow and Geologic Processes, in:
Recent Trends in Hydrogeology, Annu. Rev. Earth Pl. Sc., 23, 89–117,
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ea.23.050195.000513, 1995.
Gleeson, T., Befus, K. M., Jasechko, S., Luijendijk, E., and Cardenas, M.
B.: The global volume and distribution of modern groundwater, Nat. Geosci.,
9, 161–167, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2590, 2016.
Gringarten, A. C.: Interpretation of tests in fissured reservoirs and
multilayered reservoirs with double porosity behavior: theory and practice,
J. Petrol. Technol., 36, 549–605, https://doi.org/10.2118/10044-PA, 1984.
Heap, M. J., Kushnir, A. R. L., Gilg, H. A., Wadsworth, F. B., Reuschlé,
T., and Baud, P.: Microstructural and petrophysical properties of the
Permo-Triassic sandstones (Buntsandstein) from the Soultz-sous-Forêts
geothermal site (France), Geothermal Energy, 5, 26,
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40517-017-0085-9, 2017.
Hestir, K. and Long, J. C. S.: Analytical expressions for the permeability
of random two-dimensional Poisson fracture networks based on regular lattice
percolation and equivalent media theories, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 95,
21565–21581, https://doi.org/10.1029/JB095iB13p21565, 1990.
Hochstein, M. P.: Assessment and modelling of geothermal reservoirs (small
utilization schemes), Geothermics, 17, 15–49,
https://doi.org/10.1016/0375-6505(88)90004-1, 1988.
Horne, R. N.: Effects of water injection into fractured geothermal
reservoirs: A summary of experience worldwide, Stanford Geothermal Program,
Interdisciplinary Research in Engineering and Earth Sciences, Stanford
University, Stanford, California, Technical Report,
https://doi.org/10.2172/860855, 1982a.
Horne, R. N.: Geothermal reinjection experience in Japan, J. Petrol. Tech.,
34, 495–405, https://doi.org/10.2118/9925-PA, 1982b.
Huenges, E.: Geothermal energy systems: Exploration, development, and
utilization, 1st ed., Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim, 463
pp., 2010.
Ingebritsen, S. E., Sanford, W. E., and Neuzil, C. E.: Groundwater in
geologic processes, 2end ed., Cambridge Univ. Press, 564 pp., 2006.
iTG: available at: https://www.tiefegeothermie.de, last access: 9 September 2019.
Jodocy, M. and Stober, I.: Geologisch-geothermische Tiefenprofile für
den südwestlichen Teil des Süddeutschen Molassebeckens,
Z. Dtsch. Ges. Geowiss., 160, 359–366, https://doi.org/10.1127/1860-1804/2009/0160-0359,
2009.
Jodocy, M. and Stober, I.: Porositäten und Permeabilitäten im
Oberrheingraben und südwestdeutschen Molassebecken, Erdöl, Erdgas,
Kohle, 127, 20–27, 2011.
Jourde, H., Flodin, E. A., Aydin, A., Durlofsky, L. J., and Wen, X. H.:
Computing permeability of fault zones in eolian sandstone from outcrop
measurements, AAPG Bull., 86, 1187–1200,
https://doi.org/10.1306/61EEDC4C-173E-11D7-8645000102C1865D, 2002.
Kranz, R. L.: Microcracks in rocks: A review, Tectonophysics, 100, 449–480,
https://doi.org/10.1016/0040-1951(83)90198-1, 1983.
Krumbholz, M., Hieronymus, C. F., Burchardt, S., Troll, V. R., Tanner, D.
C., and Friese, N.: Weibull-distributed dyke thickness reflects
probabilistic character of host-rock strength, Nat. Commun., 5, 3272,
https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms4272, 2014a.
Krumbholz, M., Vollbrecht, A., and Aschoff, M.: Recent horizontal stress
directions in basement rocks of southern Sweden deduced from open
microcracks, J. Struct. Geol., 65, 33–43,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2014.03.006, 2014b.
Kushnir, A. R. L., Heap, M. J., and Baud, P.: Assessing the role of
fractures on the permeability of the Permo-Triassic sandstones at the
Soultz-sous-Forêts (France) geothermal site, Geothermics, 74, 181–189,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2018.03.009, 2018.
Laubach, S. E., Olson, J. E., and Gale, J. F. W.: Are open fractures
necessarily aligned with maximum horizontal stress?, Earth Planet. Sc.
Lett., 222, 191–195, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2004.02.019, 2004.
Laubach, S. E., Olson, J. E., and Gross, M. R.: Mechanical and fracture
stratigraphy, AAPG Bull., 93, 1413–1426,
https://doi.org/10.1306/07270909094, 2009.
Laubach, S. E., Eichhubl, P., Hargrove, P., Ellis, M. A., and Hooker, J. N.:
Fault core and damage zone fracture attributes vary along strike owing to
interaction of fracture growth, quartz accumulation, and differing sandstone
composition, J. Struct. Geol., 68, 207–226,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2014.08.007, 2014.
Lee, C. H. and Farmer, I.: Fluid flow in discontinuous rocks, Chapman and
Hall, London, 170 pp., 1993.
Lobo-Guerrero, S. and Vallejo, L. E.: Application of weibull statistics to the
tensile strength of rock aggregates, Journal of Geothechnical and
Geoenvironmental Engineering, 132, 786–790,
https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2006)132:6(786), 2006.
Lopez, D. L. and Smith, L.: Fluid flow in fault zones: Influence of
hydraulic anisotropy and heterogeneity on the fluid flow and heat transfer
regime, Water Resour. Res., 32, 3227–3235, https://doi.org/10.1029/96WR02101, 1996.
Loveless, S., Pluymaekers, M., Lagrou, D., De Boever, E., Doornenbal, H.,
and Laenen, B.: Mapping the geothermal potential of fault zones in the
Belgium-Netherlands border region, Energy Proced., 59, 351–358,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2014.10.388, 2014.
MacDonald, P., Stedman, A., and Symons, G.: The UK geothermal hot dry rock
R&D programme, Proceedings, Seventeenth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir
Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 29–31 January 1992,
SGP-TR-141, 1992.
Manning, C. E. and Ingebritsen, S. E.: Permeability of the continental
crust: Implications of geothermal data and metamorphic systems, Rev.
Geophys., 37, 127–150, https://doi.org/10.1029/1998RG900002, 1999.
Marrett, R., Laubach, S. E., and Olson, J. E.: Anisotropy and beyond:
Geologic perspectives on geophysical prospecting for natural fractures,
Leading Edge, 26, 1106–1111, https://doi.org/10.1190/1.2780778, 2007.
Mergner, H., Eggeling, L., Kölbel, T., Münch, W., and Genter, A.:
Geothermische Stromerzeugung: Bruchsal und Soultz-sous-Forêts,
mining+geo, 4, 786–790, 2012.
Moeck, I. S.: Catalog of geothermal play types based on geologic controls,
Renew. Sust. Energ. Rev., 37, 867–882,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2014.05.032, 2014.
Nelson, R. A.: Geologic analysis of naturally fractured reservoirs, 1st ed.,
Contributions in Petroleum Geology and Engineering, edited by: Chilingar G.
V., Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas, 320 pp., 1985.
Neuzil, C. E.: How permeable are clays and shales?, Water Resour. Res., 30,
145–150, https://doi.org/10.1029/93WR02930, 1994.
Ocampo, J., Pelayo, A., De Leon, J., Goyal, K., and Box, T.: Reservoir
characteristic obtained from steam decline trends in the Cerro Prieto
geothermal field, Proceedings, Twenty-Third Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir
Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 26–28 January 1998,
SGP-TR-158, 1998.
Odling, N. E., Gillespie, P., Bourgine, B., Castaing, C., Chiles, J. P.,
Christensen, N. P., Fillion, E., Genter, A., Olsen, C., Thrane, L., Trice,
R., Aarseth, E., Walsh, J. J., and Watterson, J.: Variations in fracture
system geometry and their implications for fluid flow in fractured
hydrocarbon reservoirs, Petrol. Geosci., 5, 373–384,
https://doi.org/10.1144/petgeo.5.4.373, 1999.
Ortega, O. and Marrett, R.: Prediction of macrofracture properties using
microfracture information, Mesaverde Group sandstones, San Juan basin, New
Mexico, J. Struct. Geol., 22, 571–588,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8141(99)00186-8, 2000.
Parini, M., Acuna, J. A., and Laudiano, M.: Reinjected water return at
Miravalles geothermal reservoir, Costa Rica: numerical modelling and
observations, Proceedings, Twenty-First Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir
Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 22–24 January 1996,
SGP-TR-151, 1996.
Ran, Q., Wang, Y., Sun, Y., Yan, L., and Tong, M.: Volcanic gas reservoir
characterization, Gulf Professional Publishing, 604 pp., 2014.
Sanjuan, B., Millot, R., Innocent, C. H., Dezayes, C. H., Scheiber, J., and
Brach, M.: Major geochemical characteristics of geothermal brines from the
Upper Rhine Graben granitic basement with constraints on temperature and
circulation, Chem. Geol., 428, 27–47, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2016.02.021, 2016.
Schärli, U. and Rybach, l.: Determination of specific heat capacity on
rock fragments, Geothermics, 30, 93–110,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0375-6505(00)00035-3, 2001.
Seeburger, D. A. and Zoback, M. D.: The distribution of natural fractures
and joints at depth in crystalline rock, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea.,
87, 5517–5534, https://doi.org/10.1029/JB087iB07p05517, 1982.
Shipton, Z. K. and Cowie, P. A.: A conceptual model for the origin of fault
damage zone structures in high-porosity sandstone, J. Struct. Geol., 25,
333–344, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8141(02)00037-8, 2003.
Shipton, Z. K., Evans, J. P., Robeson, K. R., Forster, C. B.,
and Snelgrove, S.: Structural heterogeneity and permeability in faulted
eolian sandstone: Implications for subsurface modeling of faults, AAPG
Bulletin, 86, 863–883, https://doi.org/10.1306/61EEDBC0-173E-11D7-8645000102C1865D, 2002.
Sibson, R. H.: Fault rocks and fault mechanisms, J. Geol.
Soc., 133, 191–213, https://doi.org/10.1144/gsjgs.133.3.0191, 1977.
Simms, M. A. and Garven, G.: Thermal convection in faulted extensional
sedimentary basins: theoretical results from finite-element modeling,
Geofluids, 4, 109–130, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-8115.2004.00069.x,
2004.
Snow, D. T.: Rock fracture spacings, openings, and porosities,
Journal of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division, 94, 73–92, 1968.
Stober, I. and Bucher, K.: Hydraulic and hydrochemical properties of deep
sedimentary reservoirs of the Upper Rhine Graben, Europe, Geofluids, 15,
464–482, https://doi.org/10.1111/gfl.12122, 2014.
Stober, I., Fritzer, T., Obst, K., Agemar, T., and Schulz, R.: Deep
Geothermal Energy – Principles and Application Possibilities in Germany,
edited by: Weber, J. and Moeck, I., Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics
(LIAG), Hannover, 88 pp., 2017.
Tenma, N., Yamaguchi, T., and Zyvoloski, G.: The Hijiori Hot Dry Rock test
site, Japan: Evaluation and optimization of heat extraction from a
two-layered reservoir, Geothermics, 37, 19–52,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2007.11.002, 2008.
Tiab, D. and Donaldson, E. C.: Petrophysics, theory and practice of
measuring reservoir and fluid transport properties, Gulf Professional
Publishing, New York, 880 pp., 2004.
Van Golf-Racht, T. D.: Fundamentals of fractured reservoir engineering,
Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, New York, 732 pp., 1982.
Vidal, J. and Genter, A.: Overview of naturally permeable fractured
reservoirs in the central and southern Upper Rhine Graben: insights from
geothermal wells, Geothermics, 74, 57–73, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2018.02.003, 2018.
Vollbrecht, A., Dürrast, H., Kraus, J., and Weber, K.: Paleostress
directions deduced from microcrack fabrics in KTB core samples and granites
from the surrounding field, Sci. Drill., 4, 233–241, 1994.
Warren, J. E. and Root, P. J.: The behavior of naturally fractured
reservoirs, S. Petrol. Eng. J., 3, 245–255,
https://doi.org/10.2118/426-pa, 1963.
Watkins, H., Healy, D., Bond, C. E., and Butler, R. W. H.: Implications of
heterogeneous fracture distribution on reservoir quality; an analogue from
the Torridon Group sandstone, Moine Thrust Belt, NW Scotland, J. Struct.
Geol., 108, 180–197, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2017.06.002, 2018.
Zhang, L.: Aspects of rock permeability, Frontiers of Structural and Civil
Engineering, 7, 102–116, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-013-0201-2, 2013.
Short summary
We use a 4-D numerical sensitivity study to investigate which geological parameters exert a dominant control on the quality of a deep geothermal reservoir. We constrain how the variability of these parameters affects the economic potential of a reservoir. We show that the interplay of high permeability and hydraulic gradient is the dominant control on reservoir lifetime. Fracture anisotropy, typical for faults, leads to fluid channelling and thus restricts the exploitable volume significantly.
We use a 4-D numerical sensitivity study to investigate which geological parameters exert a...
