The June technical lunch meeting of PESA SA Branch featured a fascinating presentation by Dr Markus Häring (Consultant) on “The impact of triggered earthquakes of the Basel geothermal project 2006 on Engineered Geothermal Systems.” Dr Häring was the Director of Geothermal Explorers and faced the criminal court of Basel City for causing material damage and flooding as a result of the induced seismicity – fortunately he was cleared of the charge. Dr Häring will present an expanded version of this talk as a PESA Webinar later this year, so stay tuned.
The presentation is timely as there’s been a resurgence in geothermal energy exploration in SA with new licences granted over the last few years to test new exploration concepts and technologies.
Abstract:
The triggered earthquake of M 3.4 with subsequent events of M >2 was a turning point in the perception of induced seismicity caused by intentional pressure changes in the subsurface. The events followed a massive hydraulic stimulation into granitic basement at 5 km depth below the city of Basel.
The geothermal project attracted worldwide attention, not only because the seismicity was felt throughout the city, but also because, for the first time, induced seismicity was recorded in detail by a scientifically supported monitoring system.
Since then, microseismic monitoring systems have been greatly improved and can now be used in all underground operations where pressure changes occur, such as oil and gas production, fraccing, CCS and EGS.
Photo at top: PESA VP Matt Densley presents Dr Haring with a token of appreciation for his presentation.
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