Abstract. In this study, we present a high-resolution dataset of seismicity framing the stimulation campaign of a 6.1 km deep Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) in Helsinki suburban area and discuss the complexity of fracture network development. Within St1 Deep Heat project, 18 160 m3 of water was injected over 49 days in summer 2018. The seismicity was monitored by a seismic network of near-surface

Abstract. We study the potential gravity effect of suggested slab configurations beneath the Alpine mountain belt. The opposing slab configurations are based on seismic crustal thickness estimates and high-resolution upper mantle tomographies. Direct conversion of upper mantle seismic velocities to densities results in a gravity response that reflects results in a gravity field that may be interpreted

Abstract. During the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries worldwide put in place social interventions, consisting of restricting the mobility of citizens, aimed at slowing and mitigating the spread of the epidemic. In particular, Italy, as the first European country violently struck by the COVID-19 outbreak, applied a sequence of progressive restrictions to reduce both human mobility and human-to-human

The Têt fault is a major crustal-scale fault in the eastern Pyrenees (France) along which 29 hot springs emerge, mainly within the footwall damage zone of the fault. In this study, (U-Th)/He apatite (AHe) thermochronology is used in combination with rare-earth element (REE) analyses in order to investigate the imprint of hydrothermal activity around two main hot spring clusters (Thuès-les-Bains and

Abstract. We combine elastic thermobarometry with oxygen isotope thermometry to quantify the pressure-temperature (P-T) evolution of retrograde metamorphic rocks of the Cycladic Blueschist Unit (CBU), an exhumed subduction complex exposed on Syros, Greece. We employ quartz-in-garnet and quartz-in-epidote barometry to constrain pressures of garnet and epidote growth near peak subduction conditions and

Understanding the impact of fracture networks on rock mass properties is an essential part of a wide range of applications in geosciences from understanding permeability of groundwater aquifers and hydrocarbon reservoirs to erodibility properties and slope stability of rock masses for geotechnical engineering. However, gathering high-quality, oriented-fracture datasets in the field can be difficult

Australian terranes concealed beneath Mesozoic cover record complex Precambrian tectonic histories involving a successive development of several Proterozoic to Palaeozoic orogenic systems. This study presents an integrated approach combining K–Ar, 40Ar–39Ar, and Rb–Sr geochronologies of Precambrian authigenic illites from the recently discovered Millungera Basin in north-central Australia. Brittle

Six hydraulic shearing experiments have been conducted in the framework of the In-situ Stimulation and Circulation experiment within a decameter-scale crystalline rock volume at the Grimsel Test Site, Switzerland. During each experiment fractures associated with one out of two shear zone types were hydraulically reactivated. The two shear zone types differ in terms of tectonic genesis and architecture

This study presents and discusses horizontal and vertical geodetic velocities for a low strain rate region of the south Alpine thrust front in northeastern Italy obtained by integrating GPS, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and leveling data. The area is characterized by the presence of subparallel, south-verging thrusts whose seismogenic potential is still poorly known. Horizontal

Abstract. In the Pitoa-Figuil area (Northern Cameroon), an interpretation of aeromagnetic data was conducted. The aim of this investigation was first to emphasize lineaments hidden under geological formations and secondly to propose two 2.75D models of the subsurface structures. Different magnetic data processing techniques were used, notably horizontal gradient magnitude, analytic signal, and Euler

Abstract. In the Western Alps, the Penninic Frontal Thrust (PFT) is the main crustal-scale tectonic structure of the belt. This thrust transported the high-pressure metamorphosed internal units over the un-metamorphosed European margin during the Oligocene (34–29 Ma). The PFT was later reactivated as an extensional detachment associated with the development of the High-Durance extensional fault system

We report the results of a multiproxy study that combines structural analysis of a fracture–stylolite network and isotopic characterization of calcite vein cements and/or fault coating. Together with new paleopiezometric and radiometric constraints on burial evolution and deformation timing, these results provide a first-order picture of the regional fluid systems and pathways that were present during

We introduce the open-source tool noisi for the forward and inverse modeling of ambient seismic cross-correlations with spatially varying source spectra. It utilizes pre-computed databases of Green's functions to represent seismic wave propagation between ambient seismic sources and seismic receivers, which can be obtained from existing repositories or imported from the output of wave propagation solvers

Abstract. Dynamic changes of aeolian landforms and desertification under global warming in a middle-latitude desert belt, the Hexi Corridor in China, considered to be one of the source and engine area of sandstorms in China and Northern Hemisphere (NH), is a typical problem of climate change and landscape response, which need a comprehensive understanding of the history and forcing mechanisms of recent

Abstract. Using 3D reflection-seismic data constrained by wells, we address the kinematic connections between Permian Zechstein evaporites, basin-inversion structures in the sedimentary units above, and reactivated structures in the sub-salt basement in the Danish Central Graben. The Danish Central Graben is part of the failed North Sea rift system. Where present, mobile Zechstein evaporites have played

The nature and origin of the two large low-velocity provinces (LLVPs) in the lowest part of the mantle remain controversial. These structures have been interpreted as a purely thermal feature, accumulation of subducted oceanic lithosphere or a primordial zone of iron enrichment. Information regarding the density of the LLVPs would help to constrain a possible explanation. In this work, we perform a

In the first kilometers of the subsurface, temperature anomalies due to heat conduction processes rarely exceed 20–30 ∘C. When fault zones are sufficiently permeable, fluid flow may lead to much larger thermal anomalies, as evidenced by the emergence of thermal springs or by fault-related geothermal reservoirs. Hydrothermal convection triggered by buoyancy effects creates thermal anomalies whose morphology

Abstract. We report the results of friction experiments on brucite under both dry and water-saturated (wet) conditions under various normal stresses (10–60 MPa). The steady-state friction coefficients of brucite were determined to be 0.40 and 0.26 for the dry and wet cases, respectively, independent of the normal stress. Under dry conditions, velocity-weakening behavior was observed in all experiments

Abstract. Many metallic mineral deposits have sufficient contrasts, particularly density, to be detectable using seismic methods. These deposits are sometimes significant for our society, economic growth and can help to accelerate the energy transition towards decarbonization. However, their exploration at depth requires high-resolution and sensitive methods. Following a series of 2D seismic trials

The simulation of seismic waves is a core task in many geophysical applications. Numerical methods such as finite difference (FD) modelling and spectral element methods (SEMs) are the most popular techniques for simulating seismic waves, but disadvantages such as their computational cost prohibit their use for many tasks. In this work, we investigate the potential of deep learning for aiding seismic

The prediction of physicochemical rock properties in subsurface models regularly suffers from uncertainty observed at the submeter scale. Although at this scale – which is commonly termed the lithofacies scale – the physicochemical variability plays a critical role for various types of subsurface utilization, its dependence on syndepositional and postdepositional processes is still subject to investigation

To quantify the intensity of oceanic oxygen isotope buffering through hydrothermal alteration of the oceanic crust, a 2D hydrothermal circulation model was coupled with a 2D reactive transport model of oxygen isotopes. The coupled model calculates steady-state distributions of temperature, water flow and oxygen isotopes of solid rock and porewater given the physicochemical conditions of oceanic crust

Compressional strains may manifest along pre-existing structures within the lithosphere, far from the plate boundaries along which the causal stress is greatest. The style and magnitude of the related contraction is expressed in different ways, depending on the geometric and mechanical properties of the pre-existing structure. A three-dimensional approach is thus required to understand how compression

Characterizing the zone of damaged and altered rock surrounding a fault surface is highly relevant to geotechnical and geo-environmental engineering works in the subsurface. Evaluating the uncertainty associated with 3D geologic modeling of these fault zones is made possible using the popular and flexible input-based uncertainty propagation approach to geologic model uncertainty assessment – termed

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and seismic imaging have proven to be important tools for the characterization of rock volumes. Both methods provide information about the physical rock mass properties and geological structures away from boreholes or tunnel walls. Here, we present the results from a geophysical characterization campaign that was conducted as part of a decametre-scale hydraulic stimulation

This work studies intensively the flow in fractures with finite hydraulic conductivity intersected by a well injecting or producing at constant pressure, either during an injection or production well test or the operation of a production well. Previous investigations showed that for a certain time the reciprocal of flow rate is proportional to the fourth root of time, which is characteristic of the

Previous studies show that organic-rich fault patches may play an important role in promoting unstable fault slip. However, the frictional properties of rock materials with nearly 100 % organic content, e.g., coal, and the controlling microscale mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report seven velocity stepping (VS) experiments and one slide–hold–slide (SHS) friction experiment performed on simulated

Central Asia is a large-scale source of dust transport, but it also held a prominent changing hydrological system during the Quaternary. A 223 m long sediment core (GN200) was recovered from the Ejina Basin (synonymously Gaxun Nur Basin) in NW China to reconstruct the main modes of water availability in the area during the Quaternary. The core was drilled from the Heihe alluvial fan, one of the world's

Travertine deposits present above the St. Johns Dome natural CO2 reservoir in Arizona, USA, document a long (>400 kyr) history of surface leakage of CO2 from a subsurface reservoir. These deposits are concentrated along surface traces of faults, implying that there has been a structural control on the migration pathway of CO2-rich fluids. Here, we combine slip tendency and fracture stability to analyse

Natural fault networks are geometrically complex systems that evolve through time. The evolution of faults and their off-fault damage patterns are influenced by both dynamic earthquake ruptures and aseismic deformation in the interseismic period. To better understand each of their contributions to faulting we simulate both earthquake rupture dynamics and long-term deformation in a visco-elasto-plastic

The western European kinematic evolution results from the opening of the western Neotethys and the Atlantic oceans since the late Paleozoic and the Mesozoic. Geological evidence shows that the Iberian domain recorded the propagation of these two oceanic systems well and is therefore a key to significantly advancing our understanding of the regional plate reconstructions. The late-Permian–Triassic

Carboniferous siliciclastic and silicic magmatic rocks from the Santa Susana–São Cristovão and Cabrela regions contain valuable information regarding the timing of synorogenic processes in SW Iberia. In this region of the Ossa-Morena Zone (OMZ), late Carboniferous terrigenous strata (i.e., the Santa Susana Formation) unconformably overlie early Carboniferous marine siliciclastic deposits alternating

The Alpine chain in western and central Europe is a complex orogen developed as a result of the African–Adriatic plate convergence towards the European continent and the closure of several Tethys oceanic branches. Seismic tomography studies detected high-wave-speed slabs plunging beneath the orogen to variable depths and a potential change in subduction polarity beneath the Central Alps. Alpine subduction

Most of the upper crustal fluid flows are strongly influenced by the pre-existing fractures/foliations in the rocks under a certain state of tectonic stress and fluid pressure condition. In the present study, we analyzed a wide range of crosscutting fractures that are filled with quartz veins of variable orientations and thicknesses, from the gold-bearing massive metabasalts (supracrustals) of the

The collision between Gondwana and Laurussia that formed the latest supercontinent, Pangea, occurred during Devonian to early Permian times and resulted in a large-scale orogeny that today transects Europe, northwest Africa, and eastern North America. This orogen is characterized by an “S” shaped corrugated geometry in Iberia. The northern curve of the corrugation is the well-known and studied

As host to several world-class sediment-hosted Pb–Zn deposits and unknown quantities of conventional and unconventional gas, the variably inverted 1730–1640 Ma Calvert and 1640–1575 Ma Isa superbasins of northern Australia have been the subject of numerous seismic reflection studies with a view to better understanding basin architecture and fluid migration pathways. These studies reveal a

We used physical models to investigate the structural evolution of segmented extensional rifts containing syn-rift evaporites and their subsequent inversion. An early stage of extension generated structural topography consisting of a series of en-échelon graben. Our salt analog filled these graben and the surroundings before continued extension and, finally, inversion. During post-salt extension

Microporous carbonate rocks form important reservoirs with permeability variability depending on sedimentary, structural, and diagenetic factors. Carbonates are very sensitive to fluid–rock interactions that lead to secondary diagenetic processes like cementation and dissolution capable of modifying the reservoir properties. Focusing on fault-related diagenesis, the aim of this study is to identify

Understanding the behavior of halogens (Cl, Br, and I) in subduction zones is critical to constrain the geochemical cycle of these volatiles and associated trace metals, as well as to quantify the halogen fluxes to the atmosphere via volcanic degassing. Here, the partitioning of bromine between coexisting aqueous fluids and hydrous granitic melts and its speciation in slab-derived fluids have been

The geometry and internal architecture of the Upper Jurassic carbonate depositional system in the epicontinental basin of central and western Europe and within the northern margin of the Tethyan shelf are hitherto only partly recognized, especially in areas with thick Cretaceous and younger cover such as the Miechów Trough. In such areas, seismic data are indispensable for the analysis of a carbonate

The North China Craton (NCC) is one of the oldest cratons in the world. Currently, the destruction mechanism and geodynamics of the NCC remain controversial. All of the proposed views regarding the issues involve studying the internal density structure of the NCC lithosphere. Gravity field data are among the most important data in regard to investigating the lithospheric density structure, and gravity

Fluid flow on different scales is of interest for several Earth science disciplines like petrophysics, hydrogeology and volcanology. To parameterize fluid flow in large-scale numerical simulations (e.g. groundwater and volcanic systems), flow properties on the microscale need to be considered. For this purpose experimental and numerical investigations of flow through porous media over a wide range

Gravity and 3D modelling combined with geochemical analysis examine the subsurface within and below the poorly exposed Palaeoproterozoic Yerrida Basin in central Western Australia. Understanding the structure of a region is important as key features indicating past geodynamic processes and tectonic activity can be revealed. However, in stable, post-depositional tectonic settings only the younger sedimentary