Quantifying the relation between Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and earthquake risk

Geologic Carbon Sequestration (GCS) is the process of injecting liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) into crustal layers for the purpose of long-term storage. Injecting and storing fluids in geological layers affect the local crustal stresses. The resulting imbalance may trigger earthquakes, as the stress is released through activation of existing, or the creation of new faults and/or fractures. My project is focused on estimating the potential hazard related to these induced earthquakes and any associated risk these may pose to society.

Key goals:
•       Develop a general seismic hazard assessment for all of Norway to serve as a baseline
•       Develop a joint seismic hazard assessment for Fennoscandia in collaboration with Nordic colleagues.
•       And develop a local seismic hazard assessment for a planned GCS project in the Horda platform including a seismic risk assessment detailing any prospective consequences, which could potentially be attributed to induced seismicity following GCS.

The seismic hazard will be evaluated using probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA). This process estimates the probabilities of ground motions to be expected with a certain return period, which may be used to infer prospective damage potential due to earthquakes in a region. The risk assessment should incorporate safety concerns, potential structural damage, and economic consequences.

People

Project members

Maren Kjos Karlsen (external link) - PhD Candidate