Inversion of microseismic source mechanism and related stress inversion

What is it about?

In the hydrofracturing area, there are usually many hydrofractures and natural fractures. Microearthquakes are likely to undergo shear wave splitting caused by anisotropic during propagation, which has a great impact on the inversion of the seismic source mechanism. Therefore, we propose a method for microearthquake source mechanism for single-well receiving arrays, which removes the impact of shear wave splitting on seismic maps. We applied this method to a hydrofracturing site in southwest China, and analyzed two clusters of microearthquakes excited by fracturing and activated by existing faults, respectively.

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Photo by Jens Aber on Unsplash

Photo by Jens Aber on Unsplash

Why is it important?

An accurate focal mechanism is crucial for subsequent stress inversion, fault shape determination, and the establishment of earthquake slip models. Only by inverting the correct focal mechanism can subsequent seismological research be carried out. Therefore, the method we propose aims to eliminate the influence of shear wave splitting on seismograms and obtain the correct focal mechanism within the limitations of a single-well observation array.

Perspectives