Industrially induced changes in Earth structure at the geysers geothermal area, California
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Abstract
Industrial exploitation is causing clearly-measurable changes in Earth structure at The Geysers geothermal area, California. Production at The Geysers peaked in the late 1980s at ∼3.5 × 10³ kg s−1 of steam and 1800 MW of electricity. It subsequently decreased by about 10% per year [Barker et al., 1992] because of declining reservoir pressure. The steam reservoir coincides with a strong negative anomaly (∼0.16, ∼9%) in the compressional-to-shear seismic wave speed ratio VP/ VS, consistent with the expected effects of low-pressure vapor-phase pore fluid [Julian et al., 1996]. Between 1991 and 1994 this anomaly increased in amplitude by up to about 0.07 (∼4%). This is consistent with the expected effects of continued pressure reduction and conversion of pore water to steam as a result of exploitation. These unique results show that VP/VS tomography can easily detect saturation changes caused by exploitation of reservoirs, and is a potentially valuable technique for monitoring environmental change. They also provide geophysical observational evidence that geothermal energy is not a renewable energy source.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Industrially induced changes in Earth structure at the geysers geothermal area, California |
| Series title | Geophysical Research Letters |
| DOI | 10.1029/96GL03152 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Year Published | 1997 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Geophysical Union |
| Description | 3 p. |
| First page | 135 |
| Last page | 137 |
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