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The Center for Geomechanics and Mitigation of Geohazards (GMG) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) that facilitates productive, meaningful partnerships between universities and industry.   Our mission is to advance the understanding of geomaterials failure in the presence of fluids for industry applications and geohazard mitigation, by leveraging the cutting-edge modeling, computing, experimental, geophysical and remote-sensing research at Caltech. 

GMG Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) Meeting (March 20-22, 2024).

Take a look to the AGENDA! See you next week!

Deep Dive on GMG Codes Overview (January 17-18, 2024)

Thank you for joining us in this Deep Dive! Looking forward to seeing you in the next one!

ARMA Future Leader webinar series

Dr. Im was invited to give a presentation as part of the ARMA Future Leader webinar series last month. See his presentation below:

SPEAKER: Dr. Kyungjae (KJ) Im

TITLE: "Simulating Sequences of Induced Earthquakes in a Discrete Fault Network Quake-DFN"


Topical Presentation on GMG Research


SPEAKER: Taeho Kim

TITLE: "Stress-Based and Forecasting and Control of Induced Seismicity: Application to the Helsinki Geothermal Reservoir Stimulation

Center overview, mission and rationale

The Center for Geomechanics and Mitigation of Geohazards (GMG) helps design strategies and technical solutions for safe and economic operations for carbon dioxide (CO2) storage, oil and gas extraction and production, and geothermal heat production. Its mission is to advance the understanding of geomaterials failure in the presence of fluids for industry applications and geohazard mitigation. It leverages cutting-edge modeling, computing, geophysical, and remote-sensing research to better understand how geomaterials fail when subjected to hydromechanical effects (e.g. fluid pumping in or out of the subsurface or slope instabilities induced by ground shaking or rainfall).

Natural hazards such as earthquakes and landslides threaten the safety and economic stability of urban centers, the structural integrity and smooth operation of their interconnected infrastructure systems. These events and the growth and prosperity of fossil-fuel dependent economies depend on:

  •  Extracting oil and gas and geothermal resources effectively and efficiently;
  •  Diminishing the impact that energy production and consumption has on the climate through CO2 sequestration, utilization, and storage; and,
  •  Mitigating the risk posed by natural hazards such as earthquakes and landslides to the infrastructure systems that, in part, transmit and distribute energy resources to the public.

To carry out its research, GMG gathers industry and government stakeholders, and scientists and engineers with diverse expertise spanning geophysics, geology, remote sensing, computational mechanics, fracture mechanics, and applied mathematics.




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Students

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) Seminar Day
We invite you to join us at the SURF Symposium this Saturday, October 15th, 2022.
Our SURF student Kyle Reese will present his research work (details here).


Lectures & Seminars

 -ARMA Technical Committee on Induced Seismicity
 What makes earthquake probability go up and down? What control do we have? 
 -PKU Distinguished Lecture Series on Earthquake Physics
 What make earthquake probability go up and down? What control do we have?


 -PhD THESIS DEFENSE
 Speaker: Stacy Larochelle

 Title: "Mechanical interactions between water and the solid Earth:  From quasi-static geodetic deformation to dynamic fault slip"


 -SEMINAR PRESENTATION
 Speaker: Kyungjae Im  (Postdoc Scholar in Geology).

 Date: Thursday, October 7th, 2021.
 Title: "The Mechanics of Slow Slip"



Interviews

Avouac_PBSInterview


GMG related research on geothermal systems in California - PBS interview

Caltech news

Producing Clean Energy Can Diminish Earthquake Risk
Nature News Article



Announcements