Seismic interplay during the GRT-1 stimulation series of the Rittershoffen EGS reservoir
Abstract
Between April and June 2013, the GRT-1 well, located at the Rittershoffen EGS geothermal site in the Upper Rhine Valley (France), underwent three distinct stimulations: a thermal stimulation, a chemical stimulation, and finally a hydraulic stimulation. These stimulations, in particular the hydraulic stimulation, have been previously explored by several studies. The current study addresses a feature that has been less analyzed: the possible seismic interplay between these stimulations. By applying improved template matching and a relative location method, a comprehensive catalog of more than 3000 seismic events was established, covering the three stimulations. This catalog allows tracking and comparison of reservoir seismogenic responses to successive, yet different, stimulation types with high spatial and temporal precision. We present the evolution of several indicators such as event distribution and clustering, b-value, and seismic injection efficiency across the stimulations. The observed differences raise the question of the relevance of using previous stimulation indicators to anticipate seismogenic behavior during subsequent stimulations. We also evidence simultaneous seismicity migration, decrease of the instantaneous injection index and decrease of the seismic efficiency at the end of the hydraulic stimulation but prior to the most energetic burst of seismicity that occurred 4.5 days after shut-in.
Related
- Impact of proposed wind turbines on seismic monitoring stations at the Xiaolangdi Reservoir
- Seismic P-wave attenuation estimation based on frequency-dependent AVO using Kramers-Kronig relations for gas reservoir prediction
- A novel integrated workflow for deep geothermal reservoir characterization using core data, optimized coupled petrophysical–seismic modeling, and machine learning: A case study from the SW Paris Basin, France
- Permeability evolution during long-term matrix acidification of sandstone under reservoir conditions
- Bedload regime transition detected with seismic measurements during flood events in a morphodynamically active Alpine river
BibTeX
@article{gaucher2026seismic,
title = {{Seismic interplay during the GRT-1 stimulation series of the Rittershoffen EGS reservoir}},
author = {Emmanuel Gaucher and Olivier Lengliné and Jean Schmittbuhl},
journal = {Frontiers in Earth Science},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/feart.2026.1738377},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05849380v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Seismic interplay during the GRT-1 stimulation series of the Rittershoffen EGS reservoir
AU - Emmanuel Gaucher
AU - Olivier Lengliné
AU - Jean Schmittbuhl
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/03
JO - Frontiers in Earth Science
DO - 10.3389/feart.2026.1738377
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05849380v1
AB - Between April and June 2013, the GRT-1 well, located at the Rittershoffen EGS geothermal site in the Upper Rhine Valley (France), underwent three distinct stimulations: a thermal stimulation, a chemical stimulation, and finally a hydraulic stimulation. These stimulations, in particular the hydraulic stimulation, have been previously explored by several studies. The current study addresses a feature that has been less analyzed: the possible seismic interplay between these stimulations. By applying improved template matching and a relative location method, a comprehensive catalog of more than 3000 seismic events was established, covering the three stimulations. This catalog allows tracking and comparison of reservoir seismogenic responses to successive, yet different, stimulation types with high spatial and temporal precision. We present the evolution of several indicators such as event distribution and clustering, b-value, and seismic injection efficiency across the stimulations. The observed differences raise the question of the relevance of using previous stimulation indicators to anticipate seismogenic behavior during subsequent stimulations. We also evidence simultaneous seismicity migration, decrease of the instantaneous injection index and decrease of the seismic efficiency at the end of the hydraulic stimulation but prior to the most energetic burst of seismicity that occurred 4.5 days after shut-in.
SN - 2296-6463
ER -