In partnership with national and industry collaborators, this project is developing a unified approach to characterizing complex in situ stress fields in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). The work integrates stress measurements, induced fracturing data, microseismicity, and seismic anisotropy data collected at two research sites across the United States. The study examines how existing datasets can be used to quantitatively characterize and map stress-field complexity, how stress conditions vary across scales, and what those differences mean for geothermal research and future deployment strategies. Findings are expected to strengthen understanding of subsurface behavior in geothermal systems and inform approaches to greenfield geothermal development.
Posting date: Tue, 05/26/2026
Award start date: Fri, 05/15/2026
Award end date: Mon, 08/31/2026