4D Physics-Based Pore Pressure Monitoring Using Passive Image Interferometry

Abstract

This study introduces a technique for four-dimensional pore pressure monitoring using passive image interferometry. Surface-wave velocity changes as a function of frequency are directly linked to depth variations of pore pressure changes through sensitivity kernels. We demonstrate that these kernels can be used to invert time-lapse seismic velocity changes, retrieved with passive image interferometry, for hydrological pore pressure variations as a function of time, depth, and region. This new approach is applied in the Groningen region of the Netherlands. We show good recovery of pore pressure variations in the upper 200 m of the subsurface from passive seismic velocity observations. This depth range is primarily limited by the reliable frequency range of the seismic data.