Dynamic Triggering Cases at the Salton Sea Geothermal Field

Cameron Wang, Wenyuan Fan, & Jianhua Gong

Published August 14, 2021, SCEC Contribution #11431, 2021 SCEC Annual Meeting Poster #210 (PDF)

Earthquakes can trigger other earthquakes at different faults that may be hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away. Such correlated triggering processes are caused by passing seismic waves and are termed as dynamic triggering. Dynamic triggering has been reported in a variety of geological settings, including subduction zones, continental plate boundaries, and particularly, geothermal fields. Understanding the physical mechanisms of dynamic triggering will provide insight into earthquake nucleation and rupture propagation, and can help with seismic hazard mitigation. However, the underlying physical mechanisms are not yet fully understood. We use the high-resolution Quake Template Matching earthquakes catalog of Southern California to systematically evaluate dynamic triggering patterns at the Salton Sea Geothermal Field. We will apply a new data-driven statistical approach to the catalog to identify dynamic triggering cases. This method is free from probability density function assumptions of background seismicity rates and can accommodate spatiotemporally evolving seismicity. We aim to systematically identify the triggered earthquakes first, and then comparatively investigate the triggered earthquakes’ ground motions and source attributes, as well as the geothermal production activities at the Salton Sea Geothermal Field. We are particularly interested in the delayed triggering cases, and categorizing the triggering responses of these cases may offer new insights into the physical mechanisms.

Key Words
dynamic triggering, geothermal field, statistics

Citation
Wang, C., Fan, W., & Gong, J. (2021, 08). Dynamic Triggering Cases at the Salton Sea Geothermal Field. Poster Presentation at 2021 SCEC Annual Meeting.

Related Projects & Working Groups
Seismology