Microseismicity in XSite

  • Synthetic microseismic events are formed in the model by new micro-crack (tensile bond breaks) and slip on existing joints (assuming all slips are seismic)
  • Event magnitudes associated with micro-cracks and joint slips are calculated differently
  • Since springs are brittle and their breakage always results in local instability, it is possible to estimate radiated seismic energy based on transient change in strain energy in the vicinity of the broken spring or micro-crack
  • In the case of slippage across natural fractures, the energy released by the slip events is calculated based on the slip area, slip magnitude, and elastic properties of the surrounding medium
  • This allows ranking of different microseismic events (both bond breakage and joint slips) occurring during simulation based on their magnitude
  • Events that are related spatially and temporally are clustered together

The figure below is an XSite model of a multi-stage horizontal completion with five regularly spaced injection ports (plan view). A set of generic rock properties was used with an existing fracture network (not shown) orientated at 60° to σHmax for illustration. Acoustic emissions are shown colored by magnitude associated with micro-cracks (left) and with slip along existing joints (right).

XSite Software Downloads

Latest News
  • WEBINAR: Solving Geothermal Challenges with XSite Numerical Modeling ITASCA Software and Baker Hughes are hosting a collaborative webinar to demonstrate how combining advanced...
    Read More
  • Itasca has announced the release of FLAC2D v9 Itasca has announced the release of FLAC2D v9, revolutionizing the way we analyze and predict...
    Read More
  • 6th Itasca Symposium on Applied Numerical Modeling The next Itasca Symposium will take place June 3 - 6, 2024, in Toronto, Canada....
    Read More

Upcoming Events
11 Aug
ITASCA Joins Caving 2026 as a Main Sponsor
We are pleased to announce that ITASCA will be participating as a Main Sponsor in Caving 2026, the leading international conference ded... Read More
15 Sep
ITASCA at EUROCK 2026: Advancing Innovation in Rock Engineering
ITASCA is pleased to announce its participation in EUROCK 2026 – ISRM Regional Symposium, taking place from 15–19 September 2026 in Sko... Read More
20 Sep
ITASCA to Participate in CouFrac 2026
ITASCA will be participating in CouFrac 2026, taking place from 20–23 September 2026 in Uppsala, Sweden. The conference brings together... Read More