Premium
Modeling Earthquake‐Induced Spring Discharge and Temperature Changes in a Fault Zone Hydrothermal System
Author(s) -
Yan Xin,
Shi Zheming,
Zhou Pengpeng,
Zhang Hui,
Wang Guangcai
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: solid earth
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.983
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 2169-9356
pISSN - 2169-9313
DOI - 10.1029/2020jb019344
Subject(s) - hydrothermal circulation , geology , permeability (electromagnetism) , seismology , spring (device) , hot spring , petrology , geotechnical engineering , mechanical engineering , engineering , genetics , membrane , biology
Although different methods have been employed to study the earthquake‐induced changes in aquifer permeability (e.g., tidal/barometric pressure response and analytical models), identification of the mechanism is usually hindered by the limitation of application conditions or multiplicity of solutions. A numerical simulation that couples flow and heat transport is developed in the present study to explain the coseismic responses that followed two large earthquakes ( Mw 7.0 Lijiang earthquake on 3 February 1996 and Mw 9.1 Sumatra earthquake on 26 December 2004) at Banglazhang #1 hot spring, China. The results show that decreased spring discharge and temperature are attributable to earthquake‐induced permeability decrease, which can be related to the blocking of narrow fracture apertures. Analysis of the model revealed that seismic waves may have caused heterogeneous changes in permeability within the fault zone hydrothermal system, which led to nonsynchronous changes in spring flow and temperature. Our study contributes to an enhanced understanding of the impact of the evolution of earthquake‐induced permeability in hydrothermal systems.