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Real-time envelope cross-correlation detector: application to induced seismicity in the Insheim and Landau deep geothermal reservoirs

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Abstract

We develop and test a real-time envelope cross-correlation detector for use in seismic response plans to mitigate hazard of induced seismicity. The incoming seismological data are cross-correlated in real-time with a set of previously recorded master events. For robustness against small changes in the earthquake source locations or in the focal mechanisms we cross-correlate the envelopes of the seismograms rather than the seismograms themselves. Two sequenced detection conditions are implemented: After passing a single trace cross-correlation condition, a network cross-correlation is calculated taking amplitude ratios between stations into account. Besides detecting the earthquake and assigning it to the respective reservoir, real-time magnitudes are important for seismic response plans. We estimate the magnitudes of induced microseismicity using the relative amplitudes between master event and detected event. The real-time detector is implemented as a SeisComP3 module. We carry out offline and online performance tests using seismic monitoring data of the Insheim and Landau geothermal power plants (Upper Rhine Graben, Germany), also including blasts from a nearby quarry. The comparison of the automatic real-time catalogue with a manually processed catalogue shows, that with the implemented parameters events are always correctly assigned to the respective reservoir (4 km distance between reservoirs) or the quarry (8 km and 10 km distance, respectively, from the reservoirs). The real-time catalogue achieves a magnitude of completeness around 0.0. Four per cent of the events assigned to the Insheim reservoir and zero per cent of the Landau events are misdetections. All wrong detections are local tectonic events, whereas none are caused by seismic noise.

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Acknowledgments

This study was performed in the framework of the joint projects MAGS and MAGS2. The projects were funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and supervised by Project Management Jülich (PtJ) (BMWi grand numbers 0325191A-F and 0325662A-G, respectively). We thank Joachim Ritter, Jens Zeiss and Jörn Gross for providing the thoroughly processed catalogue and the seismic data of the KIT online stations. Many thanks to BESTEC for nature GmbH, Pfalzwerke GmbH and geo x GmbH for the open and fruitful cooperation. Also the technical support by the BGR colleagues Mark Hanneken and Erwin Hinz for maintaining the BGR mobile stations and the help by Mathias Hoffmann regarding SeisComP3 issues are gratefully acknowledged. We also want to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their detailed reviews that helped to significantly improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR), Stilleweg 2, 30655, Hannover, Germany

    Margarete Vasterling & Ulrich Wegler

  2. Gempa GmbH, Telegrafenberg, 1447, Potsdam, Germany

    Jan Becker

  3. Landesamt für Geologie und Bergbau Rheinland-Pfalz, Emy-Roeder-Strasse 5, 55129, Mainz, Germany

    Andrea Brüstle

  4. Formerly BGR, now Landesamt für Bergbau, Energie und Geologie, Stilleweg 2, 30655, Hannover, Germany

    Monika Bischoff

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  1. Margarete Vasterling
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Correspondence to Margarete Vasterling.

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Vasterling, M., Wegler, U., Becker, J. et al. Real-time envelope cross-correlation detector: application to induced seismicity in the Insheim and Landau deep geothermal reservoirs. J Seismol 21, 193–208 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-016-9597-1

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