Articles | Volume 17, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-17-113-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-17-113-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
21 Jan 2026
Research article |
| 21 Jan 2026
| 21 Jan 2026
A fracture rarely comes alone: associations of fractures and stylolites in analogue outcrops improve borehole image interpretations of fractured carbonate geothermal reservoirs
Department of Geoscience and Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
Pierre-Olivier Bruna
Department of Geoscience and Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
Giovanni Bertotti
Department of Geoscience and Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
Myrthe Doesburg
Department of Geoscience and Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
Andrea Moscariello
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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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.
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.
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Short summary
We use analogue outcrops to predict orientations of the background fracture network in the subsurface. The novelty of our research is that we group different sets of fractures and stylolites into associations, based on the orientation of the stress field in which they formed. We apply this methodology to the Geneva Basin. Regional observations enable us to predict fracture orientations in the subsurface. 45 % of the fractures observed on image logs of two wells fit the prediction.
We use analogue outcrops to predict orientations of the background fracture network in the...
