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Vibration & seismic monitoring — Calgary, Alberta

Measuring what
moves the ground.

PPV monitoring for quarry blasts, pipelines and construction. Induced seismicity monitoring for fracking and wastewater injection. Seismic arrays for natural earthquakes.

Talk to us Our services
  • Peak Particle Velocity
  • Quarry blasting
  • Pipeline construction
  • Construction vibration
  • Induced seismicity
  • Hydraulic fracturing
  • Wastewater injection
  • Earthquake seismic arrays
  • Natural seismicity
  • Earthquake early warning
  • Canada
01 — Services

Three ways the ground moves.

Vibration and seismic monitoring for blasting, construction and energy projects.

Schematic — not to scale

01 — PPV

Vibration monitoring

Peak Particle Velocity monitoring for quarry blasts, pipeline construction and construction sites.

  • Quarry blasts
  • Pipelines
  • Construction
02 — ISM

Induced seismicity monitoring

Monitoring of seismicity induced by hydraulic fracturing and wastewater injection.

  • Hydraulic fracturing
  • Wastewater injection
03 — Arrays

Earthquake seismic arrays

Seismic arrays recording natural seismicity.

  • Natural seismicity
  • Seismic arrays
02 — Examples

Monitoring,
in practice.

Examples of the work: vibration limits on construction and traffic sites, induced events around wells, regional earthquakes and early warning.

PPV · Vibration monitoringCalgary, Alberta

Seismograph · Instantel Micromate

Instantel Micromate seismograph with a triaxial geophone and a microphone
  • Monitor
  • Geophone
  • Microphone

Data online · Instantel Vision

Instantel Vision software showing alarms, an events list, PPV charts and a site map

How traffic vibration is measured

PPV
mm/s		PPV
in/s		Human reaction
0 – 0.150 – 0.006Not noticeable
0.15 – 0.30.006 – 0.012May begin to notice
0.3 – 0.90.012 – 0.035Just noticeable
0.9 – 20.035 – 0.08Easily noticeable
2 – 2.50.08 – 0.1Readily noticeable
2.50.1Continued vibrations at this level may begin to annoy
50.2Vibrations can be felt and become an annoyance to people in buildings
10 – 150.4 – 0.6Continuous vibrations become unpleasant

Humans tend to be sensitive to particle velocities in the range of 8–80 Hz. Ground-borne traffic vibrations typically occur in the range of 5–25 Hz.

Human response to traffic vibrations

UnpleasantAnnoyingBegins to annoyReadily noticeableEasily noticeableNoticeable vibrationsJust noticeableMay begin to noticeNot noticeableHuman sensitivity 8–80 Hz.02.11101000.010.11100.3110100400Frequency (Hz)Velocity (in/s × 10⁻²)mm/s

Scale and table: City of Calgary Roads, “What are Traffic Vibrations”

Fig. 01Peak Particle Velocity (PPV) monitoringA seismograph records ground vibration; readings are compared with how people feel it, from not noticeable to unpleasant.
ISM · Event monitorExample · Nov 2015
49.40°N49.45°N49.50°N103.85°W103.75°W103.65°WEvent 244 · ML 2.1WB 1WB 25 kmN
Dates
2015-11-01 → 2015-11-11
Lat / Long
49 – 50 / −104 – −103
Magnitude
0 – 5

Detected events

IDTimeLocation / depthMag.Mech.
2015-11-11
24505:25:3449.45, -103.75
1,436 m deep		ML 0.46
24403:12:4649.41, -103.76
1,520 m deep		ML 2.1
2015-11-10
24322:11:5449.46, -103.72
1,467 m deep		ML 0.21
24216:23:1549.41, -103.73
1,502 m deep		ML 1.1
24111:34:3149.45, -103.74
1,482 m deep		ML 0.4

Monitoring stations

WB 16N9549.45, -103.76
452 m elev.		Live
WB 26N9249.52, -103.76
433 m elev.		Live

Injection near a fault · Mohr circle

~1 kmLand surfaceAquiferFluid pressureHydraulic fracturesFaultσ₁σ₃σₙCompressive stressShear stressFailure envelope121 · Before injection2 · Raised fluid pressureσ₃σ₁

Microseismic events · plan view

-800-4000400800East (m)-1000-50005001000North (m)Injection wellPerforationToeHeelEvents
Fig. 02Induced seismicity monitoring (ISM)Located events with time, depth, magnitude and focal mechanism, plus live station status. Microseismic events map the fractures along a stimulated well; raised fluid pressure can push a nearby fault to slip.
Natural seismicity · Regional eventExample · Sept 2019
100 km200 km300 km400 kmPlevenVarnaGabrovoStara ZagoraBurgasPlovdivEdirneLüleburgazIstanbulZonguldakKomotiniKavalaÇanakkaleBursaBeypazarıMyrinaBalıkesirEskişehirKütahyaEmirdağManisaİzmirUşakAkşehirChalkidaAthensKuşadasıDenizliErmoupoliParosMuğlaKalymnosFethiyeDepthD ≤ 40 km40 < D ≤ 80 km80 < D ≤ 150 km150 < D ≤ 300 kmD > 300 kmMap adapted from EMSC

Record section · 7 stations

20190924-08000520406080Seconds
  • P pick
  • S pick
  • Pick window
  • Z
  • E
  • N

Trigger log · 2019-09-26

StationStreamTriggerDeclared
34070-6T906T90ZG20:20:2920:20:34
34070-6T866T86ZG20:20:2820:20:33
34070-6T866T86ZG20:20:2920:20:34
35060-6U186U18ZG20:20:3220:20:37
35060-6U186U18ZG20:20:3320:20:38
34070-6T876T87ZG20:20:3020:20:35
34070-6T876T87ZG20:20:3120:20:36
34070-6T946T94ZG20:20:2820:20:34

Three-component record · 6T90

20190924_0800z.gcf34070 6T90Z220190924_0800e.gcf34070 6T90E220190924_0800n.gcf34070 6T90N208:0008:0108:0208:0308:04
Fig. 03Natural seismicityA regional earthquake recorded across an array: station triggers, epicentre and distance from the stations, and the recorded waveforms with P and S arrivals picked.
FaultEpicentreS-waveDamaging wavesP-waveFirst felt waveSensors≈ 10–20 km apartAlert centreCity — warnedEach station+DigitiserGüralp MinimusAccelerometerGüralp FortisAdapted from USGS

Tap the diagram to open it full screen

Fig. 04Earthquake early warning (EEW)Sensors detect the faster P-wave and send an alert ahead of the slower, damaging S-waves.
03 — In the field

From the field.

Instantel seismograph and microphone set up beside an excavation, with sandbagged sensors and cable
Fig. 05PPV monitor on site
Instantel seismograph on grass beside a fence, with a microphone on a stand and a geophone with a ground spike
Fig. 06Geophone and microphone set-up
Welcome to Thunderstone sign at the quarry entrance, with forest and Rocky Mountain peaks behind
Fig. 07Thunderstone Quarries, Canmore AB
04 — Contact

Planning a blast, a build
or a well program?

Tell us about the site and what needs monitoring.

Email us+1 403 200-8181
Contact
Rob Kendall, MSc, PGeophPresident
Office
440 Brunswick Ave SW
Calgary, Alberta T2S 1N8