Geohazards in Subsurface Energy Systems

Overview

Subsurface energy operations — including geologic CO\(_2\) and hydrogen storage, geothermal energy, and hydrocarbon production — involve the injection and/or withdrawal of large fluid volumes from the subsurface. These operations change pore pressure and effective stress in the host rock and surrounding formations, and can drive a range of geohazards, including fault reactivation and induced seismicity, ground deformation, and loss of containment.

Our group uses modeling tools that couple subsurface physics to investigate these hazards. We are particularly interested in how fault zone heterogeneity, stress state, and coupled processes drive long-term geomechanical deformation and fault stability. In parallel, we contribute to the development of risk assessment workflows that translate model predictions into actionable information for operators and regulators.

Research Questions

  • How do fault zone architecture and lithological heterogeneity control fault stability?
  • What is the impact of the background stress state on geomechanical deformation?
  • How can we evaluate the impact of geological uncertainties on the quantities of interest in subsurface energy technologies?

Selected Publications

  • Lluís Saló-Salgado, J. A. Silva, A. Plesch, F. D. Wolfe, J. H. Shaw, and R. Juanes. Stress state, subsidence, and faulting in the Wilmington Oil Field, California: a multiphase flow–geomechanics modeling assessment (1936–2020), 2026. In review. Preprint

  • H. Lu, Lluís Saló-Salgado, Y. M. Marzouk, and R. Juanes. Uncertainty quantification of fluid leakage and fault instability in geologic CO\(_2\) storage. Water Resources Research, 61(10):e2024WR039275, 2025. DOI

  • J. A. Silva, Lluís Saló-Salgado, J. Patterson, G. R. Dasari, and R. Juanes. Assessing the viability of CO\(_2\) storage in offshore formations of the Gulf of Mexico at a scale relevant for climate-change mitigation. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 126(6):103884, 2023. DOI

  • Lluís Saló, T. Frontera, X. Goula, L. G. Pujades, and A. Ledesma. Earthquake static stress transfer in the 2013 Gulf of Valencia (Spain) seismic sequence. Solid Earth, 8:857–857, 2017. DOI