By
Shea Winton
Earthquake nucleation and recurrence, the triggering and timing of volcanic eruptions, the dynamics of ice sheets, the fate and transport of contaminants in groundwater, and the generation of submarine landslides are all influenced by the interaction of rocks and fluids. Understanding rock-fluid relationships is a key component of our ability to predict natural disasters, protect and recover potable water, and to provide safe storage and long-term stewardship of related industrial products and wastes. The Center for Geomechanics, Geofluids, and Geohazards (G3 Center) is working toward understanding these relationships while providing Ph.D. research opportunities to students.
In 2006, the EMS Energy Institute provided seed money to help start the G3 Center with the intention of raising the profile of upstream petroleum research in the Institute and to secure buy in from faculty in the college, especially in the departments of Energy and Mineral Engineering and Geosciences. While a cohesive faculty group existed prior to the G3 Center’s establishment, the formation of a concrete organization was needed to increase the awareness of their research. The Center, which is more like a research focus area, has a number of goals. It acts as a hub for the research activities of the participants, it hosts scientific visitors at Penn State to conduct collaborative research, it sponsors impromptu seminars, and it facilitates the interaction of the participants with students and industry. The center’s Web site has been a successful recruitment tool for attracting excellent graduate students, and the collaboration allows pooling of resources for technical support.
The G3 Center is currently coordinated by Derek Elsworth, professor of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering; Demian Saffer, associate professor of Geosciences; and Chris Marone, professor of Geosciences. The G3 Center has allowed participants to take research they were already doing and package it more coherently to “sell” to industries such as oil companies. Portraying a clear focus is important as they continually work to strengthen connections with these companies. For example, representatives from the G3 Center traveled to Houston in 2007 and 2009 to talk to oil companies about ongoing research and what the Center can do for the companies. One of the main goals of the visits was to bring back some new projects, which they did on each occasion.
In addition, the G3 Center provides a way for Ph.D. students to earn degrees in Energy and Geo- Environmental Engineering, and Geosciences while addressing fundamental problems in fluid flow and rock mechanics. At any one time, there are about 20 students working on projects through the G3 Center and their research has real-world applications in the areas of geohazards and geo-environmental issues that can lead to jobs in academia, government, and industry.
G3 Project Examples
- DUSEL Experiment and Development Coordination
Contact: Derek Elsworth
Coordinating the science plan for a proposed underground research laboratory at the Homestake gold mine in S.D. - NanTroSEIZE Drilling Program Projects
Contact: Demian Saffer
An initiative to understand subduction plate boundaries through sampling and monitoring a major fault system implicated in historical great earthquakes and tsunamis. - Physical Properties of the San Andreas Fault Zone and the Rock Volume that Surrounds it
Contact: Chris Marone
A project focused on laboratory measurements of frictional, permeability, and elastic properties for both the active San Andreas Fault zone and outcrop samples of lithologies that represent the host rock for the cored San Andreas Fault material.
Issue Number
2
Magazine Issue