Abstract: 

Pre-drilling knowledge of permeable fractures and faults offers substantial benefits for all phases of non-conventional reservoirs development, including geothermal and shale.  The existence of ambient seismic emissions from such features is now becoming well established, as will be demonstrated in this talk.    The ambient seismic method directly images seismically-active natural and induced fractures as complex surfaces and networks.  Such images can be obtained by quiet-time monitoring using large channel 3D reflection seismographs and less numerous buried networks.  The resulting images reveal seismically active fracture and fault zones that correlate well with features illuminated by later hydraulic fracture stimulation.  They also provide advanced knowledge of potentially negative effects such as well-to-well interferences and induced seismicity. The periodic time-lapse ambient-seismic mapping of non-conventional production shows the location of zones that are producing fluids and how they change over time. The case histories presented in this seminar indicate that there is great promise for improved safe management of non-conventional resource such as geothermal and shale gases.