Location
St. Louis, Missouri
Presentation Date
01 May 1981, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Abstract
Although induced seismicity associated with the impounding of reservoirs is a relatively rare phenomenon, it should nevertheless be taken into account, particularly in the design of dams located in aseismic zones. The operation of dams is not significantly affected by induced activities: the main concern arises in situations where unexpected events might affect the behavior of the construction due to soil liquefaction or might affect slope stability. This paper reviews the principal elements which are considered to affect the occurrence of the phenomenon: the weight of the water storage, and the development of pore pressure under the storage. Both elements make differing contributions to the triggering conditions. The occurrence is related to special geological conditions difficult to evaluate but expressed mainly by the presence of brittle rock, as well as special fault conditions on occasion. The model of induced seismicity is based on the idea of considering a newly-built reservoir as a new infiltration source. It assumes the development of an unsteady flow, with subsequent transmission of hydraulic pressure in the rock mass. This concept is applied in the paper to twenty case histories of the best known reservoirs at which induced seismicity was detected.
Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Meeting Name
1st International Conference on Recent Advances in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics
Publisher
University of Missouri--Rolla
Document Version
Final Version
Rights
© 1981 University of Missouri--Rolla, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
File Type
text
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Vladut, Thomas, "Geomechanics of Reservoir Induced Seismicity" (1981). International Conferences on Recent Advances in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics. 9.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/icrageesd/01icrageesd/session08/9
Included in
Geomechanics of Reservoir Induced Seismicity
St. Louis, Missouri
Although induced seismicity associated with the impounding of reservoirs is a relatively rare phenomenon, it should nevertheless be taken into account, particularly in the design of dams located in aseismic zones. The operation of dams is not significantly affected by induced activities: the main concern arises in situations where unexpected events might affect the behavior of the construction due to soil liquefaction or might affect slope stability. This paper reviews the principal elements which are considered to affect the occurrence of the phenomenon: the weight of the water storage, and the development of pore pressure under the storage. Both elements make differing contributions to the triggering conditions. The occurrence is related to special geological conditions difficult to evaluate but expressed mainly by the presence of brittle rock, as well as special fault conditions on occasion. The model of induced seismicity is based on the idea of considering a newly-built reservoir as a new infiltration source. It assumes the development of an unsteady flow, with subsequent transmission of hydraulic pressure in the rock mass. This concept is applied in the paper to twenty case histories of the best known reservoirs at which induced seismicity was detected.
