Surface Deformation as a Geodetic Fingerprint of Subsurface Fluid Migration

Prof.  Zhong Lu

China University of Mining and Technology & Southern Methodist University

2026.10.09（星期五）15:00，理科二号楼 2821

摘要：

    Anthropogenic oil and gas activities can perturb subsurface pressure and stress fields, causing surface deformation and seismicity, yet the extent to which deformation reveals subsurface fluid migration remains poorly understood. Here, we integrate high-resolution InSAR deformation time series with anthropogenic activity records, seismic observations, and hydromechanical modeling to investigate fluid-induced deformation in West Texas, USA, and the Changning shale-gas field, China. In West Texas, we identify heterogeneous subsidence, uplift, and sinkholes associated with wastewater injection, CO₂ flooding, abandoned wells and salt dissolution, with poroelastic modeling linking pressure redistribution to observed deformation. In Changning, contrasting uplift, subsidence, and displacement reversals reveal heterogeneous pore-pressure evolution and hydraulic connectivity, providing evidence of fluid storage and migration beyond that resolved by seismic observations alone. Together, these results demonstrate that InSAR provides a spatially continuous geodetic fingerprint of subsurface fluid processes and offers an effective constraint for assessing deformation and induced-seismicity hazards associated with energy development.

报告人简介：

    Prof. Zhong Lu conducts interdisciplinary research in satellite geodesy and geophysics, with a particular focus on developing and applying satellite-based Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) techniques to study Earth surface processes. He has made significant contributions to the development of InSAR processing methodologies and their applications in geophysics, including the investigation of landslides, volcanic activity, tectonic deformation, and anthropogenic processes. Prof. Lu currently serves as the Shuler-Foscue Professor of Earth Sciences at Southern Methodist University and as a Professor at China University of Mining and Technology. He has published more than 340 peer-reviewed journal articles and three monographs, which have received more than 18,000 citations on Google Scholar, with an h-index of 71. He has served as Chair of the NASA SAR Satellite Advisory Committee and as a member scientist on the design teams for NASA’s Earth-observing radar satellite, NISAR, and the Venus radar mission, VenSAR. Prof. Lu is an elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).