The document summarizes the Fault Slip Experiment conducted at Mont Terri, Switzerland from 2015-2016. The experiment objectives were to study potential leakage along faults intersecting a sealing formation from gas pressure, glacial loading, or earthquakes. It involved injecting water into a borehole intersecting a fault to trigger slip and monitor fault permeability, stress, strain, and induced seismicity. Key results included determining the fault opening pressure, distinguishing seismic from aseismic slip, different behaviors in fault segments, permeability evolution over time, and observing fault response to distant seismic events.

1. Used Fuel Disposition Campaign
International Collaboration in
Disposal Research:
FS Experiment at Mont Terri
Jens Birkholzer
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
FCT UFD Working Group Meeting
“International Session”
UNLV, Las Vegas, NV
06/9/2016

2. Used
Fuel
Disposition
Fault Slip Experiment (2015-2016)
 Objectives
– Potential for leakage along faults that
intersect a sealing formation (e.g., triggered
by gas pressure buildup, or glacial loading, or
nearby earthquakes)
– Risk of induced seismicity
 Concept
– Inject water into packed-off intervals in a
borehole intersecting a fault
– Stepwise increase fluid pressure in different
testing sections
– Trigger fault slip
– Monitor fault permeability, stress and strain
tensors evolution, and induced seismicity

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Experimental Design
3

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Pressure, Flow Rate, and Displacement
4
Fault Opening Pressure (FOP)
Packer
3D displacement
sensor
Relative displacement of upper anchor to lower anchor (reference)

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Disposition
Seismic vs Aseismic Slip
5

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Different Behavior in Different Fault
Segments
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Evolution of Fault Permeability
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Testing Fault Response to Distant
Seismic Events