Collaborators:
Collaborating scientists on the Yellowstone geyser imaging project include Dr. Fan-Chi Lin and Dr. Jamie Farrell at University of Utah.
Collaborating scientists on the Brady Hot Springs project include Dr. Cliff Thurber and others at University of Wisconsin Madison.
Geothermal Systems
We are working on shallow, active-source imaging of Brady Hot Springs geothermal field in Nevada and the Upper Geyser Basin including Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park. These projects aim to image the shallow (top 100s of meters) geothermal systems and to measure parameters such as seismic velocities, porosity, permeability, fluid content, and Poisson's ratio. We aim to map changes in lithology as well as examine the potential of active-source seismic imaging to image structures and observe changes in shallow geothermal systems.
Dataset:
In Nov. 2016, we collected active-source seismic data in the Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone using a hammer on a metal plate as a source and hundreds of Fairfield Geotechnologies 3-component, 5-Hz geophones as the receivers.
In March 2016, we collected active-source seismic data in collaboration with the PoroTomo Project in Brady Hot Springs geothermal field in Nevada using T-Rex vibroseis truck as a source and ~260 Fairfield Geotechnologies 3-component, 5-Hz geophones as the receivers.
Societal impact:
Mapping out the shallow plumbing and properties of geothermal systems can be useful to understand the basic science of geothermal systems. It can help identify properties important for generating electricity from geothermal energy. Finally, it can reveal changes in geothermal fields, such as changing sources of heat or fluids, that could impact nearby infrastructure such as highways and buildings.
Publications
2022
Gonzalez, L. F.*, Aguiar, A., Karplus, M. (2022). Data Mining Microseismicity Associated to the Blue Mountain Geothermal Site. Stanford Geothermal Workshop Proceedings.
2021
Reed, M.*, Munoz-Saez, C., Hajimirza, S., Wu, S.-M.*, Barth, A., Girona, T., Rasht-behesht, M., White, E., Karplus, M., Hurwitz, S., Manga, M., (2021). The 2018 reawakening and eruption dynamics of Steamboat Geyser, the world's tallest active geyser. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(2).
2018
Parker, L., Thurber, C., Zeng, X., Lord, N. E., Fratta, D. O., Wang, H. F., Robertson, M. C., Thomas, A., Karplus, M., Feigl, K., (2018). Active-Source Seismic Tomography at the Brady Geothermal Field, Nevada, with Dense Nodal and Fiberoptic Seismic Arrays. Seismological Research Letters, 89(5), 1629-1640.
2017
Wu, S.-M., Ward, K. M., Farrell, J., Lin, F.-C., Karplus, M., Smith, R. B., (2017). Anatomy of Old Faithful From Subsurface Seismic Imaging of the Yellowstone Upper Geyser Basin. Geophysical Research Letters, 44(20), 10240-10247.