We investigate the influence of thermal stresses on induced seismicity in the context of geothermal energy production at Brawley and Coso in California. We resort to thermo-hydro-mechanical modeling and used measurements of surface deformation to validate our simulations. We find that thermal stresses induced by fluid injections for geothermal energy production play an important role in either triggering or impeding seismicity. We speculate that thermal stresses may also play an important role in inducing fracturing and seismicity in other context of fluid injection for CO2 storage, disposal of wastewater or unconventional oil and gas production for example.

Presentation Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Session Start Time: 9:20 AM

Presentation Time: 9:20 AM

Location: Poster Station 4

Presentation Type: Poster

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