IGCP 641 Project: mechanisms, monitoring and modeling
earth fissure generation and fault activation due to
subsurface fluid exploitation
S. Ye
School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
D. Carreion-Freyre
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Queretaro, Mexico
P. Teatini
Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering,
University of Padova, Padova, Italy
D. Galloway
United States Geological Survey, Indianapolis, USA
Ground ruptures (fractures, earth fissures and reactivation of
pre-existing surface faults) caused by extraction of fluids from
the subsurface have been observed in hundreds of sedimentary
basins worldwide, mainly in semiarid to arid areas of the USA,
Mexico, China, India, Libya, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Unexpected
fissure generation and fault activation associated with
anthropogenic land subsidence strongly impacts the development
of urban settlements, industria! centers, agricultural and other
economie activities. Improved understanding of the
geomechanical mechanisms driving the ground failure, accurate
monitoring ofhorizontal and vertical land-surface displacements,
and development and application of modelling tools to simulate
and predict the temporal and spatial evolution ofthe processes is
needed. An IGCP 641 Project entitled Mechanisms, Monitoring
and Modelling Earth Fissure Generation and Fault Activation due
to Subsurface Fluid Exploitation (M3EF3), initiated in 2015,
proposed a cooperative scientific program between institutions
and researchers to improve the understanding of the processes
involved in ground rupturing.
