none 10.1144/egc1-2023-35 Geological Society of London Geological Society of London 1881 163428274 614805 2026041706153200837 10.1144 2026-04-17T13:17:07Z 2024-08-07T03:39:33Z 0 Energy Geoscience Conference Series EGC 2976-7806 2976-7814 08 07 2024 10 2026 1 1 Hidekazu Yoshida Nagoya University Museum Chikusa-ku, Japan Nagoya University Chikusa-ku, Japan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3878-3891 Koshi Yamamoto Nagoya University Museum Chikusa-ku, Japan Nagoya University Chikusa-ku, Japan Yoshihiro Asahara Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University Chikusa-ku, Japan Ippei Maruyama Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University Chikusa-ku, Japan School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo Tokyo, Japan Koichi Karukaya Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University Chikusa-ku, Japan Akane Saito Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd Ritto, Japan Hiroya Matsui Japan Atomic Energy Agency Horonobe, Japan Akihito Mochizuki Japan Atomic Energy Agency Horonobe, Japan Nagayoshi Katsuta Faculty of Education, Gifu University Gifu, Japan Richard Metcalfe Quintessa Ltd Henley-on-Thames, UK A capability to permanently seal fluid flow paths in bedrock, such as natural faults/fractures, and damaged zones around boreholes/excavations, is needed to ensure the long-term safety and effectiveness of many underground activities. Cementitious materials are commonly used as seals, but these materials unavoidably undergo physical and chemical degradation, therefore potentially decreasing seal durability. To solve these problems, a more durable sealing method using ‘concretion-forming resin’ has been developed by learning from natural calcite (CaCO 3 ) concretion formation. The sealing capability of resin was tested by in situ experiments on bedrock flow paths in an underground research laboratory (URL), Hokkaido, Japan. The results showed a rapid decrease in the permeability down to 0.1% of the initial permeability owing to calcite precipitation over a period of 1 year. During the experiment, inland earthquakes occurred with foci below the URL (depths of 2–7 km and maximum magnitude of 5.4). As a result of the earthquakes, the hydraulic conductivities of the flow paths sealed initially by ‘concretion-forming resin’ increased. However, these flow paths subsequently resealed rapidly and within a few months recovered the same hydraulic conductivities as before the earthquakes. This new technique for rapidly producing long-lasting seals against fluid flow through rocks will be applicable to many kinds of underground activities. 10 04 2024 10 2026 egc1-2023-35 10.1144/egc1-2023-35 1 10.1144/crossmark-policy www.lyellcollection.org true 2023-12-19 2024-04-21 2024-04-25 2024-10-04 Chubu Electric Power Company http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100006530 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 10.1144/egc1-2023-35 https://www.lyellcollection.org/doi/10.1144/egc1-2023-35 https://www.lyellcollection.org/doi/pdf/10.1144/egc1-2023-35 https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/UrlRedirectHandler.ashx?routename=books&chapterdoi=10.1144/egc1-2023-35&request=chapter 10.1007/s00603-018-1577-z 10.1201/b16955-82 Aoyagi K. Tsusaka K. Kondo K. and Inagaki D. 2014. 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