Test and Development of Microseismic Monitoring

This is a continuation of the article “Ground Monitoring of Microseismic Based on Low Signal-to-Noise Ratio”, and a further summary and reflection after investigating the current situation of microseismic monitoring. It is difficult to provide necessary and sufficient conditions to test the reliability of microseismic monitoring. Often, a few hundred meters away, the microseismic signal emitted by a hypocenter is submerged in noise, and the traditional location is invalid; Inversion for microseismic released energy distribution using data migration and stacking is in principle not unique. However, based on microseismic monitoring characteristics, forward and reverse simulations and numerous experiments, many necessary conditions can be proposed to ensure reliable monitoring with high probability. VS (Vector Scanning) ground monitoring for microseismic proposes eight necessary conditions for testing the reliability, so that VS finds the fracturing-induced effective communication seam with the characteristics of shear zones under the control of tectonic stress fields, in line with the laws of seismic and geological observations, as well as the features related to some special production data. VS uses data migration and stacking suitable for low signal-to-noise ratio and shear mechanism, and the joint inversion for correction of both traditional relocations and velocity model, can greatly improve monitoring distance and quality, complete microseismic measurement methods, and broaden applicable fields, such as: (1) VS can be a cost-effective, ground-based, routine monitoring method; (2) The BPM (Borehole Proximity Monitoring) is high cost but close to the hypocenters; It can be the best method for scientific research, but its seismic network should be improved, and the joint inversion and data stacking could be used to improve the monitoring distance and quality; (3) The early warning of mine safety can change the current monitoring of strong microseismic (or accidents have been happened) to the real microseismic level; and (4) The seismic precursor monitoring of large earthquakes can be expanded from small earthquakes to microseismic. These will establish a solid foundation and complete seismic measurements for microseismology.