borehole strainmeters: instruments for measuring aseismic deformation in subduction zones
DESCRIPTION
Borehole Strainmeters: Instruments for Measuring Aseismic Deformation in Subduction Zones. Evelyn Roeloffs U.S. Geological Survey, Vancouver, WA. Acknowledgments. PBO borehole strainmeters are part of the NSF Earthscope initiative PBO being constructed by UNAVCO, Inc. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Borehole Strainmeters: Instruments for Measuring Aseismic Deformation in
Subduction Zones
Evelyn Roeloffs
U.S. Geological Survey, Vancouver, WA
Acknowledgments• PBO borehole
strainmeters are part of the NSF Earthscope initiative
• PBO being constructed by UNAVCO, Inc.
• Many UNAVCO staff working on strainmeter installation and data…– Dave Mencin, Kathleen
Hodgkinson, …
Figure courtesy of Alan Linde, Carnegie Institution
Figure courtesy of M. Gladwin, GTSM Technologies
Borehole Diagram
Strainmeters Complement Seismology and GPS
• They do not measure displacement• Low-frequency stability limit is unclear
B004 Fiji Islands M7.8 9 Dec 07
-30
-20
-10
0
10
20
30
2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000 5500 6000
B004 2007343_0700_0900CH0CH1CH2CH3
seconds after 073430700
Surface waves
Main use of strainmeters is for signals lasting hours to days
Output from borehole strainmeter gauges
Derived Strains
2007 ETS Event, model
by T. Melbourne
based on GPS
2007 N Cascadia Slow Slip
Event
2008N Cascadia
Slow Slip
Event
Cascadia Aseismic Slip Events
Tremor and Strain Onset at B018
Slow slip event recorded by strainmeter, little or no GPS signal
K. Wang et al., GRL, 2008
Transient Aseismic Slip Throughout Cascadia
Brudzinski & Allen, Geology 2007
Grants Pass PBO Borehole Strain
Fluid Pressure and Borehole Strain
• Fluid pressure is in some sense a proxy for strain– Subsurface fluid pressures fluctuate in response to strain
induced by earth tides and atmospheric pressure
– Can use fluid pressure tidal response to convert fluid pressure data to “units” of strain (typically order of 1 m H2O/microstrain)
• But:– not all fluid pressure changes can be attributed to strain
– some strain changes look a lot like fluid pressure changes
Iceland Dilatometer Array
Figure courtesy of Alan Linde, Carnegie Institution
Eruptions of Hekla Volcano
Figure courtesy of Alan Linde, Carnegie Institution
Possible Decoupling of Strainmeters?
• Very high vertical diffusivity
• Regional strain deforms fractures but produces no local strain near strainmeter
Long Valley Caldera1997 Seismic Swarm
Roeloffs et al.,
J. Volc. Geotherm. Res.,
2003
Transient Strain Following 1992 M7.3 Landers Earthquake
• No other deformation detected, although seismicity was triggered
Earthquakes Affecting Water Levels in Long Valley
Normalized Time
Histories of Water-Level and Strain Changes
1-D Diffusion Models for Strain Transients
• Time histories of strain transients are consistent with diffusive decay of a fluid pressure increase near, but not at, the strainmeter
Beyond Pore Pressure Monitoring as a Proxy for Strain: Fluid Pressure and
Strain are Independent Variables• Fluid pressure has unique ways of interacting with static
or dynamic tectonic deformation
• Fluid pressure changes cannot necessarily be computed from strain observations
• Strain cannot necessarily be inferred from fluid pressure changes
Aspects needing engineering development• Quantify requirements for rock modulus and quality
– Custom build strainmeters to match in-situ properties?
• Best practices for grouting– Depends on temperature, pressure– Very consistent procedure required
• Refine understanding of strainmeter coupling to formation strain– Partitioning between horizontal and vertical sensitivity– How are crescent-shaped strainmeters coupled?
• With what instruments can strainmeters share boreholes?– Open interval for pore pressure recording– Active instruments whose current may cause heat transients