Abstract
Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) have the potential to make a significant
contribution to the world energy inventory. One controversial issue
associated with EGS, however, is the impact of induced seismicity
or microseismicity, which has been the cause of delays and threatened
cancellation of at least two EGS projects worldwide. Although microseismicity
has in fact had few (or no) adverse physical effects on operations
or on surrounding communities, there remains public concern over
the amount and magnitude of the seismicity associated with current
and future EGS operations. The primary objectives of this paper are
to present an up-to-date review of what is already known about the
seismicity induced during the creation and operation of EGS, and
of the gaps in our knowledge that, once addressed, should lead to
an improved understanding of the mechanisms generating the events.
Several case histories also illustrate a number of technical and
public acceptance issues. We conclude that EGS-induced seismicity
need not pose a threat to the development of geothermal energy resources
if site selection is carried out properly, community issues are handled
adequately and operators understand the underlying mechanisms causing
the events. Induced seismicity could indeed prove beneficial, in
that it can be used to monitor the effectiveness of EGS operations
and shed light on geothermal reservoir processes.
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