How can passive seismic imaging techniques be used to monitor temporal variations in structures at CO2 sequestration sites?

Meeting the global challenge of reducing greenhouse gases requires safe and effective CO2 sequestration. A critical component of CO2 sequestration, and its containment, is timely monitoring structural changes that result from stresses introduced by CO2 injection to prevent or mitigate failures. Established monitoring strategies utilize detailed controlled source 3D seismic surveys to image small-scale structures around injection sites. However, a drawback of this approach is its need for signals produced by man-made seismic sources, such that subsurface structures are only periodically captured when sources are generated. The temporal development of structural changes and a broader geologic context surrounding the injection sites are often left unresolved. An alternative to controlled source seismic surveys is passive seismic (PS) imaging, which utilizes signals from earthquakes or other cultural or industrial sources. PS imaging is ideally suited for continuous monitoring, as demonstrated by its successes understanding induced earthquakes near dams (e.g., Brazeau River, Alberta) and wastewater (near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta) or hydraulic fracturing (Fox Creek, Alberta) operations. PS imaging has also successfully monitored CO2 injection sites (e.g., near Weyburn, Saskatchewan), but its scope (and application) in Alberta remains in its infancy. The collaborative project outlined here will overcome this limitation and aims to answer the Big Question: How can passive seismic imaging techniques be used to monitor temporal variations in structures at CO2 sequestration sites? Expected outcomes from this study address the Grand Challenge #6 of capturing CO2, within GRI Theme #3 of CO2 conversion. And UA Theme #2 of Future energy systems related to carbon capture, utilization and storage.

2021 Outstanding Student Presentation Award (OSPA)

Jingchuan Wang

Award

Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship (AGES)

Wenhan Sun

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American Geophysical Union (AGU) Travel Award

Jingchuan Wang

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Award for Outstanding Course Work and Research Results

Jingchuan Wang

Award

Best Student Presentation Award

Jingchuan Wang

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Chevron Canada Outstanding Student Paper in Seismology

Jingchuan Wang

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PhD Thesis Award

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Roy Dean Hibbs Memorial Scholarship (with Distinction)

Jingchuan Wang

Award

3-D and 5-D reconstruction of P receiver functions via singular spectrum analysis

Yu Jeffrey Gu, Mauricio Sacchi, Gonzalo Rubio

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

3D and 5D Multichannel Singular Spectrum Analysis (MSSA) and the reconstruction of P receiver functions

Yu Jeffrey Gu, Mauricio Sacchi

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

A Comprehensive Earthquake Catalogue for Southwestern Alberta, Canada, Between 2004 and 2015

Yu Jeffrey Gu

Government Publication

A new appraisal of lithospheric structures of the Cordillera-craton boundary region in western Canada

Yu Jeffrey Gu

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Aftershocks and fault aseismic deformation in Southern-central Alberta associated with a hydraulic-fracturing induced earthquake?

Yu Jeffrey Gu, Jingchuan Wang

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Characterizing the recent increasing seismicity near Musreau Lake, Alberta

Yu Jeffrey Gu, Jingchuan Wang, Tianyang Li

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Crustal attenuation beneath western North America: Implications for slab subduction, terrane accretion and arc magmatism of the Cascades

Yu Jeffrey Gu, Mauricio Sacchi, Jingchuan Wang

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Crustal seismic attenuation of western Canada from Lg Q inversions

Yu Jeffrey Gu, Jingchuan Wang

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Crustal shear structure of the Cordillera-Craton transition region in southwestern Canada and its tectonic implications

Yu Jeffrey Gu, Jingchuan Wang

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Earthquakes Induced by Wastewater Disposal near Musreau Lake, Alberta, 2018\textendash 2020

Yu Jeffrey Gu, Jingchuan Wang, Tianyang Li

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Earthquakes induced by wastewater disposal near Musreau Lake, Alberta, 2018-2020

Yu Jeffrey Gu, Jingchuan Wang, Tianyang Li

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Lithospheric structure imaging of Alberta from regional broadband seismic network

Doctoral Thesis/Dissertation

Micro-tremors and aftershocks following the March 2019 ML 4.2 earthquake near Red Deer, Alberta

Yu Jeffrey Gu, Jingchuan Wang, Tianyang Li

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Microseismic monitoring at a shallow injection site, the CaMI Field Research Station in Newell County, AB, Geoconvention, Calgary.

Donald Lawton, Yu Jeffrey Gu, Hersh Gilbert

Conference Proceedings

Monitoring CO2 injection at the CaMI Field Research Station using noise source migration

Donald Lawton, Yu Jeffrey Gu, Hersh Gilbert, Jingchuan Wang

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Monitoring CO2 injection at the CaMI Field Research Station using noise source migration, CaMI.

Donald Lawton, Yu Jeffrey Gu, Hersh Gilbert, Jingchuan Wang

Research Report

Multi-dimensional reconstruction of virtual shot gathers

Yu Jeffrey Gu, Mauricio Sacchi

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Multiscale Investigation of the Earth's Internal Structure and Processes Using Seismic Arrays

Jingchuan Wang

Doctoral Thesis/Dissertation

Non-double-couple components for induced earthquakes

Yu Jeffrey Gu

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Paleomagnetism of the Guanyang Devonian sedimentary successions in Guangxi province, South China

Yu Jeffrey Gu

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Passive seismic imaging and monitoring using ambient noise body waves, CaMI

Donald Lawton, Yu Jeffrey Gu, Hersh Gilbert, Mauricio Sacchi

Research Report

Precambrian tectonic discontinuities in western Laurentia: Broadband seismological perspectives on the Snowbird and Great Falls tectonic zones

Yu Jeffrey Gu

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Preliminary seismic hazard analysis from wastewater disposal-induced seismicity near the Musreau Lake, Alberta

Yu Jeffrey Gu, Jingchuan Wang, Tianyang Li

Conference Proceedings

Recent earthquakes induced by wastewater near Musreau Lake, Alberta

Yu Jeffrey Gu, Jingchuan Wang, Tianyang Li

Conference Proceedings

Reconciling seismic structures and Late Cretaceous kimberlite magmatism in northern Alberta, Canada

Yu Jeffrey Gu

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Recovery of the upper crustal structures from forward modeling and inversions of receiver functions

Yu Jeffrey Gu

Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution

Robust Sparse Recovery via Matching Pursuit Algorithms and Applications to Simultaneous-Source Seismic Data Processing

Master Thesis

Seismic evidence for a mantle suture and implications for the origin of the Canadian Cordillera

Yu Jeffrey Gu

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Sequential fault reactivation from secondary triggering in the March 2019 Red Deer induced earthquake swarm

Yu Jeffrey Gu, Jingchuan Wang, Tianyang Li

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Shear Velocity and Radial Anisotropy beneath Southwestern Canada: Evidence for Crustal Extension and Thick-Skinned Tectonics

Yu Jeffrey Gu, Jingchuan Wang

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Shear Velocity and Radial Anisotropy beneath Southwestern Canada: Evidence for Crustal Extension and Thick‐Skinned Tectonics

Yu Jeffrey Gu, Jingchuan Wang

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Shear wave splitting discloses two episodes of collision-related convergence in western North America

Yu Jeffrey Gu

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

Source Analysis of Induced Earthquakes in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin

Doctoral Thesis/Dissertation

Spatiotemporal variations in crustal seismic anisotropy surrounding induced earthquakes near Fox Creek, Alberta

Yu Jeffrey Gu

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article