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Stress chatter on a fracture network reactivated by hydraulic fracturing
  • +5
  • Andrés Felipe Peña Castro,
  • Marco P Roth,
  • Alessandro Verdecchia,
  • John Onwuemeka,
  • Yajing Liu,
  • Rebecca M. Harrington,
  • Yong Zhang,
  • Honn Kao
Andrés Felipe Peña Castro
McGill University
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Marco P Roth
Ruhr University Bochum
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Alessandro Verdecchia
McGill University
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John Onwuemeka
McGill University
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Yajing Liu
McGill University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Rebecca M. Harrington
Ruhr University Bochum
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Yong Zhang
Peking University
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Honn Kao
Geological Survey of Canada
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Abstract

Source processes of injection induced earthquakes involve complex fluid-rock interaction often elusive to regional seismic monitoring. Here we combine observations from a local seismograph array in the Montney basin, northeast British Columbia, and stress modeling to examine the spatial and temporal evolution of the 30 November 2018 M 4.5 hydraulic fracturing induced earthquake sequence. The mainshock occurred at ~ 4.5 km in the crystalline basement two days following injection at ~ 2.5 km, suggesting direct triggering by rapid fluid pressure increase via a high-permeability conduit. Most of the aftershocks are located in the top 2 km sedimentary layers, with focal mechanisms indicating discrete slip along sub-vertical surfaces in a ~ 1 km wide deformation zone. Aftershock distribution is also consistent with static stress triggering from the M 4.5 coseismic slip. Our analysis suggests complex hydraulic and stress transfer between fracture/fault networks needs to be considered in induced seismic hazard assessment.