The Experts below are selected from a list of 10356 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Oliver Heidbach - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the world Stress map database release 2016 Crustal Stress pattern across scales
Tectonophysics, 2018Co-Authors: Oliver Heidbach, Mark Tingay, John Reinecker, Birgit Muller, Xiaofeng Cui, Karsten Reiter, Mojtaba Rajabi, Karl Fuchs, Friedemann Wenzel, Furen XieAbstract:Abstract Knowledge of the present-day Crustal in-situ Stress field is a key for the understanding of geodynamic processes such as global plate tectonics and earthquakes. It is also essential for the management of geo-reservoirs and underground storage sites for energy and waste. Since 1986, the World Stress Map (WSM) project has systematically compiled the orientation of maximum horizontal Stress (SHmax). For the 30th anniversary of the project, the WSM database has been updated significantly with 42,870 data records which is double the amount of data in comparison to the database release in 2008. The update focuses on areas with previously sparse data coverage to resolve the Stress pattern on different spatial scales. In this paper, we present details of the new WSM database release 2016 and an analysis of global and regional Stress pattern. With the higher data density, we can now resolve Stress pattern heterogeneities from plate-wide to local scales. In particular, we show two examples of 40°-60° SHmax rotations within 70 km. These rotations can be used as proxies to better understand the relative importance of plate boundary forces that control the long wave-length pattern in comparison to regional and local controls of the Crustal Stress state. In the new WSM project phase IV that started in 2017, we will continue to further refine the information on the SHmax orientation and the Stress regime. However, we will also focus on the compilation of Stress magnitude data as this information is essential for the calibration of geomechanical-numerical models. This enables us to derive a 3-D continuous description of the Stress tensor from point-wise and incomplete Stress tensor information provided with the WSM database. Such forward models are required for safety aspects of anthropogenic activities in the underground and for a better understanding of tectonic processes such as the earthquake cycle.
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Crustal Stress pattern in China and its adjacent areas
Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 2017Co-Authors: Arno Zang, Oliver Heidbach, Xiaofeng Cui, Furen Xie, Jiawei ChenAbstract:Abstract During the update of the World Stress Map (WSM) database, we integrated the China Stress database by strictly using the internationally developed quality ranking scheme for each individual Stress data record. This effort resulted in a comprehensive and reliable dataset for the Crustal Stress of China and its adjacent areas with almost double the amount of data records from the WSM database release 2008, i.e., a total of 8228 data records with reliable A-C qualities in the region of 45–155° East and 0–60° North. We use this dataset for an analysis of the Stress pattern for the orientation of maximum compressive horizontal Stress (S Hmax ). In contrast to earlier findings that suggested that the mean S Hmax orientation would be aligned with the direction of plate motion, we clearly see from our results that the plate boundary forces, as well as topography and faulting, are important control factors for the overall Stress pattern. Furthermore, the smoothing results indicate that the S Hmax orientation in China rotates clockwise from the west to the east, which results in a fan-shaped Crustal Stress pattern for the continental scale. The plate boundary forces around China, which are the Indian-Eurasian plate collision in the west and the Pacific plate subduction and the push from the Philippine plate in the east, can still be seen as the key driving processes and the first-order controls for the Crustal Stress pattern. The South-North seismic zone can be seen as the separation zone for the western and eastern plate boundary forces. Topographic variation and faulting activity, however, provide second-order changes, and lead to local variations and different inhomogeneity scales for the Stress pattern. Due to differences in these factors, Northeast China and the central part of the Tibetan plateau have notably homogeneous Stress patterns, while the South-North seismic zone, the Hindu Kush-Pamir region, and the Taiwan region have extremely inhomogeneous Stress patterns. Furthermore, the different behaviors of Stress orientations around continental and oceanic plate boundaries could imply that complicated mechanisms exist and warrant further and more specific studies.
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present day Crustal Stress field in greece inferred from regional scale damped inversion of earthquake focal mechanisms
Journal of Geophysical Research, 2017Co-Authors: K I Konstantinou, Oliver Heidbach, Vasiliki Mouslopoulou, Wentzong Liang, Onno Oncken, John SuppeAbstract:In this study we utilize regional and teleseismic earthquake moment tensor solutions in order to infer the contemporary Crustal Stress in the Greek region. We focus on Crustal earthquakes and select only solutions with good waveform fits and well-resolved nodal planes. A data set of 1614 focal mechanisms is used as input to a regional-scale damped Stress inversion algorithm over a grid whose node spacing is 0.35°. Several resolution and sensitivity tests are performed in order to ascertain the robustness of our results. Our findings show that for most of the Greek region the largest principal Stress σ1 is vertically oriented and that the minimum principal Stress axis σ3 are subhorizontal with a predominant N-S orientation. In the SW Peloponnese the orientation of σ3 axes rotates clockwise and in SE Aegean counterclockwise. These results are in agreement with the generally accepted model that slab rollback combined with gravitational spreading of the Aegean lithosphere are the main causes of the extension. Transitions between different faulting types in NW Greece or in the Aegean occur within narrow zones in the order of tens of kilometers. A visual comparison of the principal horizontal Stress axes and the principal strain axes derived from GPS observations shows good agreement, suggesting that the crust in the Greek region behaves largely in an elastic manner.
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New Crustal Stress Map of the Mediterranean and Central Europe
2016Co-Authors: Oliver Heidbach, John Reinecker, Birgit Muller, Susana Custodio, Andrew Kingdon, Maria Teresa Mariucci, Paola Montone, Simona Pierdominicini, Mojtaba Rajabi, Karsten ReiterAbstract:The World Stress Map (WSM) Project was initiated in 1986 under the auspices of the International Lithosphere Program in order to compile globally the information on the contemporary Crustal Stress state. For the 30th anniversary the WSM database has been updated and increased the number of data records from 21,750 to 42,410 worldwide. For the Mediterranean and Central European Stress map the number of data records has increased from 3877 to 8192. The data come from a wide range of Stress indicators such as borehole data (e.g. hydraulic fracturing, drilling induced tensile fractures, borehole breakouts), earthquake focal mechanism solutions and Stress inversions from these, engineering methods (overcoring, borehole slotter) and geological data (e.g. volcanic alignment, inversion of fault slip data). To guarantee the comparability of the different Stress indicator the resulting data are quality-ranked using the WSM quality ranking scheme. The new data set has a better coverage and enables us to identifying the regional and local variability of the Stress pattern. For the Mediterranean and Central Europe we analysed the wave-length of the Stress pattern by determining the mean orientation of the maximum horizontal Stress SHmax on a regular grid using an updated version of the hybrid approach of Heidbach et al. [2010]. The preliminary results show that the Africa-Eurasia plate convergence is a key control of the overall Stress pattern. However, given the complex tectonic setting in particular due to the indentation/collision of the Adriatic micro block, the Alpine topography as well as forces that control the movement of the Anatolian and Aegean block, the Stress pattern shows in these regions significant changes in the mean SHmax orientation as well as in the tectonic regime.
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A revised Crustal Stress orientation database for Canada
Tectonophysics, 2014Co-Authors: Karsten Reiter, Oliver Heidbach, Douglas R. Schmitt, Kristine Haug, Moritz Ziegler, Inga MoeckAbstract:Abstract The Canadian database on contemporary Crustal Stress has not been revised systematically in the past two decades. Here we present the results of our new compilation that contains 514 new data records for the orientation data of maximum compressive horizontal Stress and 188 data records that were re-assessed. In total the Canadian Stress database has now 1667 data records, which is an increase of about 45%. From these data, a new Canadian Stress map as well as one for the Province of Alberta is presented. To analyse the Stress pattern, we use the quasi median on the circle as a smoothing algorithm that generates a smoothed Stress map of the maximum compressive horizontal Stress orientation on a regular grid. The newly introduced quasi interquartile range on the circle estimates the spreading of the data and is used as a measure for the wave-length of the Stress pattern. The result of the hybrid wavelength analysis confirms that long spatial wavelength Stress patterns (≥ 1000 km) exist in large areas in Canada. The observed Stress pattern is transmitted through the intra-plate regions. The results reveal that shorter spatial wave length variation of the maximum compressive horizontal Stress orientation of less than 200 km, prevails particularly in south-eastern and western Canada. Regional Stress sources such as density contrasts, active fault systems, Crustal structures, etc. might have a significant impact in these regions. In contrast to these variations, the observed Stress pattern in the Alberta Basin is very homogeneous and mainly controlled by plate boundary forces and body forces. The influence of curvature of the Rocky Mountains salient in southern Alberta is minimal. The present-day horizontal Stress orientations determined herein have important implications for the production of hydrocarbons and geothermal energy in the Alberta Basin.
Birgit Muller - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the world Stress map database release 2016 Crustal Stress pattern across scales
Tectonophysics, 2018Co-Authors: Oliver Heidbach, Mark Tingay, John Reinecker, Birgit Muller, Xiaofeng Cui, Karsten Reiter, Mojtaba Rajabi, Karl Fuchs, Friedemann Wenzel, Furen XieAbstract:Abstract Knowledge of the present-day Crustal in-situ Stress field is a key for the understanding of geodynamic processes such as global plate tectonics and earthquakes. It is also essential for the management of geo-reservoirs and underground storage sites for energy and waste. Since 1986, the World Stress Map (WSM) project has systematically compiled the orientation of maximum horizontal Stress (SHmax). For the 30th anniversary of the project, the WSM database has been updated significantly with 42,870 data records which is double the amount of data in comparison to the database release in 2008. The update focuses on areas with previously sparse data coverage to resolve the Stress pattern on different spatial scales. In this paper, we present details of the new WSM database release 2016 and an analysis of global and regional Stress pattern. With the higher data density, we can now resolve Stress pattern heterogeneities from plate-wide to local scales. In particular, we show two examples of 40°-60° SHmax rotations within 70 km. These rotations can be used as proxies to better understand the relative importance of plate boundary forces that control the long wave-length pattern in comparison to regional and local controls of the Crustal Stress state. In the new WSM project phase IV that started in 2017, we will continue to further refine the information on the SHmax orientation and the Stress regime. However, we will also focus on the compilation of Stress magnitude data as this information is essential for the calibration of geomechanical-numerical models. This enables us to derive a 3-D continuous description of the Stress tensor from point-wise and incomplete Stress tensor information provided with the WSM database. Such forward models are required for safety aspects of anthropogenic activities in the underground and for a better understanding of tectonic processes such as the earthquake cycle.
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New Crustal Stress Map of the Mediterranean and Central Europe
2016Co-Authors: Oliver Heidbach, John Reinecker, Birgit Muller, Susana Custodio, Andrew Kingdon, Maria Teresa Mariucci, Paola Montone, Simona Pierdominicini, Mojtaba Rajabi, Karsten ReiterAbstract:The World Stress Map (WSM) Project was initiated in 1986 under the auspices of the International Lithosphere Program in order to compile globally the information on the contemporary Crustal Stress state. For the 30th anniversary the WSM database has been updated and increased the number of data records from 21,750 to 42,410 worldwide. For the Mediterranean and Central European Stress map the number of data records has increased from 3877 to 8192. The data come from a wide range of Stress indicators such as borehole data (e.g. hydraulic fracturing, drilling induced tensile fractures, borehole breakouts), earthquake focal mechanism solutions and Stress inversions from these, engineering methods (overcoring, borehole slotter) and geological data (e.g. volcanic alignment, inversion of fault slip data). To guarantee the comparability of the different Stress indicator the resulting data are quality-ranked using the WSM quality ranking scheme. The new data set has a better coverage and enables us to identifying the regional and local variability of the Stress pattern. For the Mediterranean and Central Europe we analysed the wave-length of the Stress pattern by determining the mean orientation of the maximum horizontal Stress SHmax on a regular grid using an updated version of the hybrid approach of Heidbach et al. [2010]. The preliminary results show that the Africa-Eurasia plate convergence is a key control of the overall Stress pattern. However, given the complex tectonic setting in particular due to the indentation/collision of the Adriatic micro block, the Alpine topography as well as forces that control the movement of the Anatolian and Aegean block, the Stress pattern shows in these regions significant changes in the mean SHmax orientation as well as in the tectonic regime.
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global Crustal Stress pattern based on the world Stress map database release 2008
Tectonophysics, 2010Co-Authors: Oliver Heidbach, Mark Tingay, Andreas Barth, John Reinecker, D Kurfes, Birgit MullerAbstract:The World Stress Map (WSM) project is a global compilation of information on the contemporary Crustal Stress field from a wide range of Stress indicators. The WSM database release 2008 contains 21,750 Stress data records that are quality‐ranked using an updated and refined quality‐ranking scheme. Almost 17,000 of these data records have A‐C quality and are considered to record the orientation of maximum horizontal compressional Stress SH to within ±25°. As this is almost a triplication of data records compared with the first WSM database release in 1992, we reinvestigate the spatial wave‐length of the Stress patterns with a statistical analysis on a global 0.5° grid. The resulting smoothed global Stress map displays both; the mean SH orientation that follows from the maximum smoothing radius for which the standard deviation is b25° and a countour map that displays the wave‐length of the Stress pattern. This smoothed global map confirms that long wave‐length Stress patterns (N2000 km) exist for example in North America and NE Asia. These have been used in earlier analyses to conclude that the global Stress pattern is primarily controlled by plate boundary forces that are transmitted into the intraplate region. However, our analysis reveals that rather short wave‐length of the Stress pattern b200 km are quite frequent too, particularly in western Europe, Alaska and the Aleutians, the southern Rocky Mountains, Basin and Range province, Scandinavia, Caucasus, most of the Himalayas and Indonesia. This implies that local Stress sources such as density contrasts and active fault systems in some areas have high impact in comparison to plate boundary forces and control the regional Stress pattern.
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attached or not attached evidence from Crustal Stress observations for a weak coupling of the vrancea slab in romania
Tectonophysics, 2010Co-Authors: Birgit Muller, Oliver Heidbach, Mihaela Negut, Blanka Sperner, Thies J. BuchmannAbstract:Abstract The Crustal Stress pattern of Romania provides key insights into whether the Vrancea slab with its seismogenic volume between 70 and 175 km depth is still coupled to the crust and thus acts as a Stress guide, or whether it is already in a state of detachment from the crust. Knowledge of the state of the slab under Vrancea is particularly critical because the slab attached to the crust can result in future strong earthquake occurrence in the crust and even in the currently aseismic zone between 40 km and 70 km depth, potentially causing severe damage. Our analysis of the contemporary tectonic Stress observations in the context of potential Stress sources and the comparison with numerical modelling shows that the Crustal Stress pattern in Romania is heterogeneous and does not contain a long wave-length Stress pattern that would be expected if there is a strong present-day coupling between the subducted slab and the upper plate, or if lateral plate boundary forces would control the regional Stress pattern. Therefore, we conclude that the Crustal Stress pattern of Romania is characterised by small differential horizontal Stresses where local Stress sources (third-order effects) are responsible for the observed heterogeneity of Stress orientations and that the subducted slab under Vrancea is only weakly coupled to the crust.
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Attached or not attached—evidence from Crustal Stress observations for a weak coupling of the Vrancea slab in Romania
Tectonophysics, 2009Co-Authors: Birgit Muller, Oliver Heidbach, Mihaela Negut, Blanka Sperner, Thies J. BuchmannAbstract:Abstract The Crustal Stress pattern of Romania provides key insights into whether the Vrancea slab with its seismogenic volume between 70 and 175 km depth is still coupled to the crust and thus acts as a Stress guide, or whether it is already in a state of detachment from the crust. Knowledge of the state of the slab under Vrancea is particularly critical because the slab attached to the crust can result in future strong earthquake occurrence in the crust and even in the currently aseismic zone between 40 km and 70 km depth, potentially causing severe damage. Our analysis of the contemporary tectonic Stress observations in the context of potential Stress sources and the comparison with numerical modelling shows that the Crustal Stress pattern in Romania is heterogeneous and does not contain a long wave-length Stress pattern that would be expected if there is a strong present-day coupling between the subducted slab and the upper plate, or if lateral plate boundary forces would control the regional Stress pattern. Therefore, we conclude that the Crustal Stress pattern of Romania is characterised by small differential horizontal Stresses where local Stress sources (third-order effects) are responsible for the observed heterogeneity of Stress orientations and that the subducted slab under Vrancea is only weakly coupled to the crust.
Furen Xie - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the world Stress map database release 2016 Crustal Stress pattern across scales
Tectonophysics, 2018Co-Authors: Oliver Heidbach, Mark Tingay, John Reinecker, Birgit Muller, Xiaofeng Cui, Karsten Reiter, Mojtaba Rajabi, Karl Fuchs, Friedemann Wenzel, Furen XieAbstract:Abstract Knowledge of the present-day Crustal in-situ Stress field is a key for the understanding of geodynamic processes such as global plate tectonics and earthquakes. It is also essential for the management of geo-reservoirs and underground storage sites for energy and waste. Since 1986, the World Stress Map (WSM) project has systematically compiled the orientation of maximum horizontal Stress (SHmax). For the 30th anniversary of the project, the WSM database has been updated significantly with 42,870 data records which is double the amount of data in comparison to the database release in 2008. The update focuses on areas with previously sparse data coverage to resolve the Stress pattern on different spatial scales. In this paper, we present details of the new WSM database release 2016 and an analysis of global and regional Stress pattern. With the higher data density, we can now resolve Stress pattern heterogeneities from plate-wide to local scales. In particular, we show two examples of 40°-60° SHmax rotations within 70 km. These rotations can be used as proxies to better understand the relative importance of plate boundary forces that control the long wave-length pattern in comparison to regional and local controls of the Crustal Stress state. In the new WSM project phase IV that started in 2017, we will continue to further refine the information on the SHmax orientation and the Stress regime. However, we will also focus on the compilation of Stress magnitude data as this information is essential for the calibration of geomechanical-numerical models. This enables us to derive a 3-D continuous description of the Stress tensor from point-wise and incomplete Stress tensor information provided with the WSM database. Such forward models are required for safety aspects of anthropogenic activities in the underground and for a better understanding of tectonic processes such as the earthquake cycle.
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Crustal Stress pattern in China and its adjacent areas
Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 2017Co-Authors: Arno Zang, Oliver Heidbach, Xiaofeng Cui, Furen Xie, Jiawei ChenAbstract:Abstract During the update of the World Stress Map (WSM) database, we integrated the China Stress database by strictly using the internationally developed quality ranking scheme for each individual Stress data record. This effort resulted in a comprehensive and reliable dataset for the Crustal Stress of China and its adjacent areas with almost double the amount of data records from the WSM database release 2008, i.e., a total of 8228 data records with reliable A-C qualities in the region of 45–155° East and 0–60° North. We use this dataset for an analysis of the Stress pattern for the orientation of maximum compressive horizontal Stress (S Hmax ). In contrast to earlier findings that suggested that the mean S Hmax orientation would be aligned with the direction of plate motion, we clearly see from our results that the plate boundary forces, as well as topography and faulting, are important control factors for the overall Stress pattern. Furthermore, the smoothing results indicate that the S Hmax orientation in China rotates clockwise from the west to the east, which results in a fan-shaped Crustal Stress pattern for the continental scale. The plate boundary forces around China, which are the Indian-Eurasian plate collision in the west and the Pacific plate subduction and the push from the Philippine plate in the east, can still be seen as the key driving processes and the first-order controls for the Crustal Stress pattern. The South-North seismic zone can be seen as the separation zone for the western and eastern plate boundary forces. Topographic variation and faulting activity, however, provide second-order changes, and lead to local variations and different inhomogeneity scales for the Stress pattern. Due to differences in these factors, Northeast China and the central part of the Tibetan plateau have notably homogeneous Stress patterns, while the South-North seismic zone, the Hindu Kush-Pamir region, and the Taiwan region have extremely inhomogeneous Stress patterns. Furthermore, the different behaviors of Stress orientations around continental and oceanic plate boundaries could imply that complicated mechanisms exist and warrant further and more specific studies.
Karsten Reiter - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the world Stress map database release 2016 Crustal Stress pattern across scales
Tectonophysics, 2018Co-Authors: Oliver Heidbach, Mark Tingay, John Reinecker, Birgit Muller, Xiaofeng Cui, Karsten Reiter, Mojtaba Rajabi, Karl Fuchs, Friedemann Wenzel, Furen XieAbstract:Abstract Knowledge of the present-day Crustal in-situ Stress field is a key for the understanding of geodynamic processes such as global plate tectonics and earthquakes. It is also essential for the management of geo-reservoirs and underground storage sites for energy and waste. Since 1986, the World Stress Map (WSM) project has systematically compiled the orientation of maximum horizontal Stress (SHmax). For the 30th anniversary of the project, the WSM database has been updated significantly with 42,870 data records which is double the amount of data in comparison to the database release in 2008. The update focuses on areas with previously sparse data coverage to resolve the Stress pattern on different spatial scales. In this paper, we present details of the new WSM database release 2016 and an analysis of global and regional Stress pattern. With the higher data density, we can now resolve Stress pattern heterogeneities from plate-wide to local scales. In particular, we show two examples of 40°-60° SHmax rotations within 70 km. These rotations can be used as proxies to better understand the relative importance of plate boundary forces that control the long wave-length pattern in comparison to regional and local controls of the Crustal Stress state. In the new WSM project phase IV that started in 2017, we will continue to further refine the information on the SHmax orientation and the Stress regime. However, we will also focus on the compilation of Stress magnitude data as this information is essential for the calibration of geomechanical-numerical models. This enables us to derive a 3-D continuous description of the Stress tensor from point-wise and incomplete Stress tensor information provided with the WSM database. Such forward models are required for safety aspects of anthropogenic activities in the underground and for a better understanding of tectonic processes such as the earthquake cycle.
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New Crustal Stress Map of the Mediterranean and Central Europe
2016Co-Authors: Oliver Heidbach, John Reinecker, Birgit Muller, Susana Custodio, Andrew Kingdon, Maria Teresa Mariucci, Paola Montone, Simona Pierdominicini, Mojtaba Rajabi, Karsten ReiterAbstract:The World Stress Map (WSM) Project was initiated in 1986 under the auspices of the International Lithosphere Program in order to compile globally the information on the contemporary Crustal Stress state. For the 30th anniversary the WSM database has been updated and increased the number of data records from 21,750 to 42,410 worldwide. For the Mediterranean and Central European Stress map the number of data records has increased from 3877 to 8192. The data come from a wide range of Stress indicators such as borehole data (e.g. hydraulic fracturing, drilling induced tensile fractures, borehole breakouts), earthquake focal mechanism solutions and Stress inversions from these, engineering methods (overcoring, borehole slotter) and geological data (e.g. volcanic alignment, inversion of fault slip data). To guarantee the comparability of the different Stress indicator the resulting data are quality-ranked using the WSM quality ranking scheme. The new data set has a better coverage and enables us to identifying the regional and local variability of the Stress pattern. For the Mediterranean and Central Europe we analysed the wave-length of the Stress pattern by determining the mean orientation of the maximum horizontal Stress SHmax on a regular grid using an updated version of the hybrid approach of Heidbach et al. [2010]. The preliminary results show that the Africa-Eurasia plate convergence is a key control of the overall Stress pattern. However, given the complex tectonic setting in particular due to the indentation/collision of the Adriatic micro block, the Alpine topography as well as forces that control the movement of the Anatolian and Aegean block, the Stress pattern shows in these regions significant changes in the mean SHmax orientation as well as in the tectonic regime.
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A revised Crustal Stress orientation database for Canada
Tectonophysics, 2014Co-Authors: Karsten Reiter, Oliver Heidbach, Douglas R. Schmitt, Kristine Haug, Moritz Ziegler, Inga MoeckAbstract:Abstract The Canadian database on contemporary Crustal Stress has not been revised systematically in the past two decades. Here we present the results of our new compilation that contains 514 new data records for the orientation data of maximum compressive horizontal Stress and 188 data records that were re-assessed. In total the Canadian Stress database has now 1667 data records, which is an increase of about 45%. From these data, a new Canadian Stress map as well as one for the Province of Alberta is presented. To analyse the Stress pattern, we use the quasi median on the circle as a smoothing algorithm that generates a smoothed Stress map of the maximum compressive horizontal Stress orientation on a regular grid. The newly introduced quasi interquartile range on the circle estimates the spreading of the data and is used as a measure for the wave-length of the Stress pattern. The result of the hybrid wavelength analysis confirms that long spatial wavelength Stress patterns (≥ 1000 km) exist in large areas in Canada. The observed Stress pattern is transmitted through the intra-plate regions. The results reveal that shorter spatial wave length variation of the maximum compressive horizontal Stress orientation of less than 200 km, prevails particularly in south-eastern and western Canada. Regional Stress sources such as density contrasts, active fault systems, Crustal structures, etc. might have a significant impact in these regions. In contrast to these variations, the observed Stress pattern in the Alberta Basin is very homogeneous and mainly controlled by plate boundary forces and body forces. The influence of curvature of the Rocky Mountains salient in southern Alberta is minimal. The present-day horizontal Stress orientations determined herein have important implications for the production of hydrocarbons and geothermal energy in the Alberta Basin.
John Reinecker - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the world Stress map database release 2016 Crustal Stress pattern across scales
Tectonophysics, 2018Co-Authors: Oliver Heidbach, Mark Tingay, John Reinecker, Birgit Muller, Xiaofeng Cui, Karsten Reiter, Mojtaba Rajabi, Karl Fuchs, Friedemann Wenzel, Furen XieAbstract:Abstract Knowledge of the present-day Crustal in-situ Stress field is a key for the understanding of geodynamic processes such as global plate tectonics and earthquakes. It is also essential for the management of geo-reservoirs and underground storage sites for energy and waste. Since 1986, the World Stress Map (WSM) project has systematically compiled the orientation of maximum horizontal Stress (SHmax). For the 30th anniversary of the project, the WSM database has been updated significantly with 42,870 data records which is double the amount of data in comparison to the database release in 2008. The update focuses on areas with previously sparse data coverage to resolve the Stress pattern on different spatial scales. In this paper, we present details of the new WSM database release 2016 and an analysis of global and regional Stress pattern. With the higher data density, we can now resolve Stress pattern heterogeneities from plate-wide to local scales. In particular, we show two examples of 40°-60° SHmax rotations within 70 km. These rotations can be used as proxies to better understand the relative importance of plate boundary forces that control the long wave-length pattern in comparison to regional and local controls of the Crustal Stress state. In the new WSM project phase IV that started in 2017, we will continue to further refine the information on the SHmax orientation and the Stress regime. However, we will also focus on the compilation of Stress magnitude data as this information is essential for the calibration of geomechanical-numerical models. This enables us to derive a 3-D continuous description of the Stress tensor from point-wise and incomplete Stress tensor information provided with the WSM database. Such forward models are required for safety aspects of anthropogenic activities in the underground and for a better understanding of tectonic processes such as the earthquake cycle.
-
New Crustal Stress Map of the Mediterranean and Central Europe
2016Co-Authors: Oliver Heidbach, John Reinecker, Birgit Muller, Susana Custodio, Andrew Kingdon, Maria Teresa Mariucci, Paola Montone, Simona Pierdominicini, Mojtaba Rajabi, Karsten ReiterAbstract:The World Stress Map (WSM) Project was initiated in 1986 under the auspices of the International Lithosphere Program in order to compile globally the information on the contemporary Crustal Stress state. For the 30th anniversary the WSM database has been updated and increased the number of data records from 21,750 to 42,410 worldwide. For the Mediterranean and Central European Stress map the number of data records has increased from 3877 to 8192. The data come from a wide range of Stress indicators such as borehole data (e.g. hydraulic fracturing, drilling induced tensile fractures, borehole breakouts), earthquake focal mechanism solutions and Stress inversions from these, engineering methods (overcoring, borehole slotter) and geological data (e.g. volcanic alignment, inversion of fault slip data). To guarantee the comparability of the different Stress indicator the resulting data are quality-ranked using the WSM quality ranking scheme. The new data set has a better coverage and enables us to identifying the regional and local variability of the Stress pattern. For the Mediterranean and Central Europe we analysed the wave-length of the Stress pattern by determining the mean orientation of the maximum horizontal Stress SHmax on a regular grid using an updated version of the hybrid approach of Heidbach et al. [2010]. The preliminary results show that the Africa-Eurasia plate convergence is a key control of the overall Stress pattern. However, given the complex tectonic setting in particular due to the indentation/collision of the Adriatic micro block, the Alpine topography as well as forces that control the movement of the Anatolian and Aegean block, the Stress pattern shows in these regions significant changes in the mean SHmax orientation as well as in the tectonic regime.
-
global Crustal Stress pattern based on the world Stress map database release 2008
Tectonophysics, 2010Co-Authors: Oliver Heidbach, Mark Tingay, Andreas Barth, John Reinecker, D Kurfes, Birgit MullerAbstract:The World Stress Map (WSM) project is a global compilation of information on the contemporary Crustal Stress field from a wide range of Stress indicators. The WSM database release 2008 contains 21,750 Stress data records that are quality‐ranked using an updated and refined quality‐ranking scheme. Almost 17,000 of these data records have A‐C quality and are considered to record the orientation of maximum horizontal compressional Stress SH to within ±25°. As this is almost a triplication of data records compared with the first WSM database release in 1992, we reinvestigate the spatial wave‐length of the Stress patterns with a statistical analysis on a global 0.5° grid. The resulting smoothed global Stress map displays both; the mean SH orientation that follows from the maximum smoothing radius for which the standard deviation is b25° and a countour map that displays the wave‐length of the Stress pattern. This smoothed global map confirms that long wave‐length Stress patterns (N2000 km) exist for example in North America and NE Asia. These have been used in earlier analyses to conclude that the global Stress pattern is primarily controlled by plate boundary forces that are transmitted into the intraplate region. However, our analysis reveals that rather short wave‐length of the Stress pattern b200 km are quite frequent too, particularly in western Europe, Alaska and the Aleutians, the southern Rocky Mountains, Basin and Range province, Scandinavia, Caucasus, most of the Himalayas and Indonesia. This implies that local Stress sources such as density contrasts and active fault systems in some areas have high impact in comparison to plate boundary forces and control the regional Stress pattern.