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Ridgecrest aftershocks at Coso suppressed by thermal destressing

Author

Listed:
  • Kyungjae Im

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Jean-Philippe Avouac

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Elías R. Heimisson

    (California Institute of Technology
    Swiss Seismological Service)

  • Derek Elsworth

    (EMS Energy Institute, Pennsylvania State University
    G3 Center, Pennsylvania State University)

Abstract

Geothermal and volcanic areas are prone to earthquake triggering1,2. The Coso geothermal field in California lies just north of the surface ruptures driven by the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake (moment magnitude Mw = 7.1), in an area where changes in coseismic stress should have triggered aftershocks3,4. However, no aftershocks were observed there4. Here we show that 30 years of geothermal heat production at Coso depleted shear stresses within the geothermal reservoir. Thermal contraction of the reservoir initially induced substantial seismicity, as observed in the Coso geothermal reservoir, but subsequently depleted the stress available to drive the aftershocks during the Ridgecrest sequence. This destressing changed the faulting style of the reservoir and impeded aftershock triggering. Although unlikely to have been the case for the Ridgecrest earthquake, such a destressed zone could, in principle, impede the propagation of a large earthquake.

Suggested Citation

  • Kyungjae Im & Jean-Philippe Avouac & Elías R. Heimisson & Derek Elsworth, 2021. "Ridgecrest aftershocks at Coso suppressed by thermal destressing," Nature, Nature, vol. 595(7865), pages 70-74, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:595:y:2021:i:7865:d:10.1038_s41586-021-03601-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03601-4
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    Cited by:

    1. Guoyan Jiang & Andrew J. Barbour & Robert J. Skoumal & Kathryn Materna & Joshua Taron & Aren Crandall-Bear, 2024. "Relatively stable pressure effects and time-increasing thermal contraction control Heber geothermal field deformation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.
    2. McLean, Matthew L. & Espinoza, D. Nicolas, 2023. "Thermal destressing: Implications for short-circuiting in enhanced geothermal systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 736-755.

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