Techno Press
Techno Press

Earthquakes and Structures
  Volume 11, Number 5, November 2016 , pages 861-871
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12989/eas.2016.11.5.861
 


On the origin of exponential growth in induced earthquakes in Groningen
Maurice H.P.M. van Putten, Anton F.P. van Putten and Michael J.A.M. van Putten

 
Abstract
    The Groningen gas field shows exponential growth in earthquake event counts around a magnitude M1 with a doubling time of 6-9 years since 2001. This behavior is identified with dimensionless curvature in land subsidence, which has been evolving at a constant rate over the last few decades essentially uncorrelated to gas production. We demonstrate our mechanism by a tabletop crack formation experiment. The observed skewed distribution of event magnitudes is matched by that of maxima of event clusters with a normal distribution. It predicts about one event <M5 per day in 2025, pointing to increasing stress to human living conditions.
 
Key Words
    induced earthquakes; crack formation; statistical forecasting
 
Address
Maurice H.P.M. van Putten: Physics and Astronomy, Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea

Anton F.P. van Putten: AnMar Research Laboratories B.V., Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Michael J.A.M. van Putten: Clinical Neurophysiology, Medisch Spectrum Twente and University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
 

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