April 26, 2020
We can gain critical insights into the evolution of flow path connectivity during rock deformation by monitoring Helium concentration dissolved in groundwater. This is the main conclusion of our last paper which has just been published with SpringerNature in Scientific Reports: https://rdcu.be/b3Lmt
We deployed at the Grimsel Deep Underground laboratory, Switzerland, an on-site mass spectrometer (https://gasometrix.com/) that is able to measure a panel of dissolved gases in groundwater in near-real-time. The objective was to track anomalies in noble gases that could be involved during a reservoir stimulation experiment for Enhanced Geothermal Systems.
We see great perspectives in deploying this technology for applications related to groundwater abstraction, remediation, CO2 storage, geothermal energy but also to better understand the link between seismicity and fluid migration in the Earth's crust. More is coming soon!
Roques, C., Weber, U. W., Brixel, B., Krietsch, H., Dutler, N., Brennwald, M. S., Villiger, L., Doetsch, J., Jalali, M., Gischig, V., Amann, F., Valley, B., Klepikova, M., & Kipfer, R. (2020). In situ observation of helium and argon release during fluid-pressure-triggered rock deformation. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 6949. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-63458-x