A Seismic Evidence for the Reliability of the 3-D Stress Measurement by Hydraulic Fracturing

Abstract

Determining the in-situ stress of wall rock is important for the underground cavern project. The three-dimensional (3-D) stress measurement, which is obtained by hydraulic fracturing stress measurement via measuring the stresses in boreholes with three different orientations, has been applied for the designation of cavern project. However, there are few examples that can demonstrate the reliability of 3-D stress measurement method. In this study, we showed one example of the 3-D stress results measured by hydraulic fracturing in Western China. The measured results, especially the dip angles of the maximum principle stress are consistent with those determined by focal mechanism of nearby earthquakes. This consistence indicates the reliability of the 3-D stress results by hydraulic fracturing and an expected application for regional geostress study.