Caprock Integrity and Induced Seismicity from Laboratory and Numerical Experiments

CO₂ leakage is a major concern for geologic carbon storage. To assess the caprock sealing capacity and the strength of faults, we test in the laboratory the rock types involved in CO₂ storage at representative in-situ conditions. We use the measured parameters as input data to a numerical model that simulates CO₂ injection in a deep saline aquifer bounded by a low-permeable fault. We find that the caprock sealing capacity is maintained and that, even if a fault undergoes a series of microseismic events or aseismic slip, leakage is unlikely to occur through ductile clay-rich faults.