A Scaling Relation Between the Moment Release due to Aseismic Motion and
the Injected Volume of Fluid
Abstract
Constraining the moment release of injection-induced earthquakes is of
paramount importance to reduce the seismic hazard in the geo-energy
industry. Recent studies suggest that a significant part of the moment
release during fluid injections can be due to aseismic motion, namely,
aseismic moment M0. Current models of injection-induced aseismic
moment do not incorporate fault rupture mechanics. Here, we present a
theoretical and numerical analysis that highlights a possible scaling
relation between the aseismic moment and a key operational parameter,
the injected volume of fluid V. The scaling relation emerges from the
model of a stable frictional shear crack that propagates in mixed mode
(II+III) on a planar fault interface. The interface is characterized by
a constant hydraulic transmissivity and a shear strength that is equal
to the product of a constant friction coefficient and the local
effective normal stress. Fluid is injected right into the fault
interface at a constant flow rate. The resulting relation between the
aseismic moment and the injected volume is M0=A⋅ V^(3/2). The
prefactor A accounts for the dependence of the aseismic moment on the
pre-injection stress state, the parameters of the injection (notably,
the injection flow rate), and the fault elasto-frictional and hydraulic
properties. Unlike previous studies, our model accounts for the
possibility that ruptures can propagate beyond the fluid-pressurized
fault patch, a condition that is expected to occur in critically
stressed and/or highly-pressurized fractures/faults. We test the scaling
relation against estimates of moment release due to aseismic motion
during fluid injections that vary in size from laboratory experiments to
industrial applications. Our predictions are in good agreement with
these observations. These results provide a simple means to quantify the
size of aseismic ruptures in response to fluid injections related to
both natural and human sources.