Microearthquakes at the puhagan geothermal field, Philippines — A case of induced seismicity

Abstract

The Puhagan area in Southern Negros is the only known Philippine geothermal field where there is a clear correlation between increased levels of local seismicity, and the development and early production phases of a geothermal power project. During commissioning of the Palinpinon I power plant in May 1983, a large increase in the microseismic event rate, occasionally exceeding 100 events per day, was noted. This seismic activity is characterized by swarms of events lasting from several hours to a month, separated by long periods of reduced activity. The largest events have local magnitudes of 2.4. Because the swarms appear to be triggered by both reinjection and production of fluids, it is difficult to relate them to a single triggering mechanism. An epicenter study was conducted during July to October 1983, using a simplified joint determination algorithm modified for a uniform velocity structure. The vast majority of the hypocenters occur in a narrow zone with a WNW lineation in the production sector of the field (correlating with a known fault trace) with very little activity in the reinjection sector (1 km to the north). First motions suggest activity has been induced on several non-parallel faults in the area, however, a majority of the events are consistent with normal faulting or oblique slip on steeply dipping NW-SE-trending planes.