Full waveform based microseismic source mechanism studies in the Barnett shale using dual array data

Abstract

Microseismic source mechanisms have potential value for understanding the reservoir, natural fractures, stress state, and fracturing mechanisms. In its general form, the microseismic source model is represented by a symmetric moment tensor having six independent components. Difficulties arise when attempting to invert for the complete moment tensor from a single well dataset. In this paper, a full-waveform inversion approach for inverting the complete moment tensor is discussed using a dual-array dataset from a hydraulic fracturing stimulation in the Barnett shale at Fort Worth Basin. The primary information derived consists of the fault-plane solution (i.e. strike, dip and rake), the slip direction, and the seismic moment. The derived source mechanisms are compared with previous fracture studies in the same field. The results are provided to demonstrate that the full waveform based complete moment tensor inversion can be used to extract useful microseismic source information to further understand the reservoir and the fracturing process.