SCEC Award Number 14213 View PDF
Proposal Category Individual Proposal (Integration and Theory)
Proposal Title Towards Building a Prescriptive Approach to Induced Seismicity in the Salton Trough
Investigator(s)
Name Organization
Emily Brodsky University of California, Santa Cruz
Other Participants
SCEC Priorities 2b, 2f, 2c SCEC Groups EFP, Seismology, CSEP
Report Due Date 03/15/2015 Date Report Submitted N/A
Project Abstract
 Geothermal power generation commonly induces seismicity. We have shown that the earthquakes in the Salton Sea region are directly related to the net extraction of fluid in the field. We used an ETAS model to decluster the catalog and then related the background rate to publically available monthly injection and production data. The success of this project also shows that the induced earthquakes have aftershocks, which can potentially occur on other faults in the region. Therefore, it is possible that induced seismicity can trigger tectonic events. This project specifically addresses SCEC4 problem 2f focusing on induced seismicity in the Salton Sea area.
Intellectual Merit The intellectual merits of this work is in developing fundamental observations of earthquake rates in response to known stressing. In this situation earthquake predictability should be more straightforward than elsewhere. Therefore, if earthquakes are predictable at all, the induced seismicity case must be solvable.
Broader Impacts Human-impacted earthquakes are a large and growing concern for society. Empirical methods, like that developed in this work, are desperately needed in order to guide policy. This project has also provided support for beginning graduate student Qingjun Meng who has been integrated into the SCEC community.
Exemplary Figure Figure on p. 6.