Detailed 3D Seismic Velocity Structure of the Prague, Oklahoma Fault
Zone and the Implications for Induced Seismicity
Abstract
The 2011 Mw 5.7 Prague earthquake is the second largest induced
earthquake in Oklahoma, and occurred after decades of wastewater
disposal. The local geological structure that led to the triggering of
this large earthquake is not well understood. In this study, tomographic
inversion of seismic data recorded by a dense local seismic network
resulted in a high-resolution 3D velocity model with three major layers.
The model clearly illuminates the geometry and characteristics of the
Meeker-Prague Fault that hosted the 2011 Prague sequence. A conceptual
model is proposed to link the tomographic structure to the triggering
process of the sequence. The low-permeability second layer at
~1.5-3.5 km may be the key that delays the occurrence of
the first sizeable earthquake after decades of wastewater injection.
However, a low-shear-velocity zone within this layer at the intersection
of two major faults could have provided a fluid pathway to facilitate
downward fluid propagation.