Meeting the global challenge of reducing greenhouse gases requires safe and effective CO2 sequestration. A critical component of CO2 sequestration, and its containment, is timely monitoring structural changes that result from stresses introduced by CO2 injection to prevent or mitigate failures. Established monitoring strategies utilize detailed controlled source 3D seismic surveys to image small-scale structures around injection sites. However, a drawback of this approach is its need for signals produced by man-made seismic sources, such that subsurface structures are only periodically captured when sources are generated. The temporal development of structural changes and a broader geologic context surrounding the injection sites are often left unresolved. An alternative to controlled source seismic surveys is passive seismic (PS) imaging, which utilizes signals from earthquakes or other cultural or industrial sources. PS imaging is ideally suited for continuous monitoring, as demonstrated by its successes understanding induced earthquakes near dams (e.g., Brazeau River, Alberta) and wastewater (near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta) or hydraulic fracturing (Fox Creek, Alberta) operations. PS imaging has also successfully monitored CO2 injection sites (e.g., near Weyburn, Saskatchewan), but its scope (and application) in Alberta remains in its infancy. The collaborative project outlined here will overcome this limitation and aims to answer the Big Question: How can passive seismic imaging techniques be used to monitor temporal variations in structures at CO2 sequestration sites? Expected outcomes from this study address the Grand Challenge #6 of capturing CO2, within GRI Theme #3 of CO2 conversion. And UA Theme #2 of Future energy systems related to carbon capture, utilization and storage.
2021 Outstanding Student Presentation Award (OSPA)
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Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship (AGES)
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American Geophysical Union (AGU) Travel Award
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Award for Outstanding Course Work and Research Results
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Best Student Presentation Award
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Chevron Canada Outstanding Student Paper in Seismology
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PhD Thesis Award
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Roy Dean Hibbs Memorial Scholarship (with Distinction)
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3-D and 5-D reconstruction of P receiver functions via singular spectrum analysis
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article
3D and 5D Multichannel Singular Spectrum Analysis (MSSA) and the reconstruction of P receiver functions
Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution
A Comprehensive Earthquake Catalogue for Southwestern Alberta, Canada, Between 2004 and 2015
Government Publication
A new appraisal of lithospheric structures of the Cordillera-craton boundary region in western Canada
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article
Aftershocks and fault aseismic deformation in Southern-central Alberta associated with a hydraulic-fracturing induced earthquake?
Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution
Characterizing the recent increasing seismicity near Musreau Lake, Alberta
Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution
Crustal attenuation beneath western North America: Implications for slab subduction, terrane accretion and arc magmatism of the Cascades
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article
Crustal seismic attenuation of western Canada from Lg Q inversions
Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution
Crustal shear structure of the Cordillera-Craton transition region in southwestern Canada and its tectonic implications
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article
Earthquakes Induced by Wastewater Disposal near Musreau Lake, Alberta, 2018\textendash 2020
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article
Earthquakes induced by wastewater disposal near Musreau Lake, Alberta, 2018-2020
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article
Lithospheric structure imaging of Alberta from regional broadband seismic network
Doctoral Thesis/Dissertation
Micro-tremors and aftershocks following the March 2019 ML 4.2 earthquake near Red Deer, Alberta
Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution
Microseismic monitoring at a shallow injection site, the CaMI Field Research Station in Newell County, AB, Geoconvention, Calgary.
Conference Proceedings
Monitoring CO2 injection at the CaMI Field Research Station using noise source migration
Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution
Monitoring CO2 injection at the CaMI Field Research Station using noise source migration, CaMI.
Research Report
Multi-dimensional reconstruction of virtual shot gathers
Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution
Non-double-couple components for induced earthquakes
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article
Paleomagnetism of the Guanyang Devonian sedimentary successions in Guangxi province, South China
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article
Passive seismic imaging and monitoring using ambient noise body waves, CaMI
Research Report
Precambrian tectonic discontinuities in western Laurentia: Broadband seismological perspectives on the Snowbird and Great Falls tectonic zones
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article
Preliminary seismic hazard analysis from wastewater disposal-induced seismicity near the Musreau Lake, Alberta
Conference Proceedings
Recent earthquakes induced by wastewater near Musreau Lake, Alberta
Conference Proceedings
Reconciling seismic structures and Late Cretaceous kimberlite magmatism in northern Alberta, Canada
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article
Recovery of the upper crustal structures from forward modeling and inversions of receiver functions
Conference/Symposium/Workshop Contribution
Seismic evidence for a mantle suture and implications for the origin of the Canadian Cordillera
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article
Sequential fault reactivation from secondary triggering in the March 2019 Red Deer induced earthquake swarm
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article
Shear Velocity and Radial Anisotropy beneath Southwestern Canada: Evidence for Crustal Extension and Thick-Skinned Tectonics
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article
Shear Velocity and Radial Anisotropy beneath Southwestern Canada: Evidence for Crustal Extension and Thick‐Skinned Tectonics
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article
Shear wave splitting discloses two episodes of collision-related convergence in western North America
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article
Source Analysis of Induced Earthquakes in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin
Doctoral Thesis/Dissertation
Spatiotemporal variations in crustal seismic anisotropy surrounding induced earthquakes near Fox Creek, Alberta
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article