The Culpepper Group, Llc

The Culpepper Group, LLC is focused on the transfer of energy sector technology to resiliency and coastal restoration. Deformation of engineered structures can be indicative of geologic fault creep, or compaction of soils on the down-dropped sides of faults. Land subsidence in Louisiana can result in increased infrastructure maintenance and repair costs. If a fault slips beneath a bridge, the bridge is subjected to quasi-static displacement offset. The impact of surface faults on critical infrastructure is insufficiently documented in Louisiana. Accurate mapping of surface faults can measure both vertical and horizontal displacement over time and distance. Based on experience gained using 3D seismic data, and guidelines established in other States, surface faults are likely confined to a relatively narrow zone a few feet to few tens of feet wide, making avoidance (i.e, highway offsets) the most appropriate mitigation method. “In some cases, however, surface expression of faults can be distributed across zones hundreds of feet wide or manifested as broad warps, suggesting that engineering strengthening or design may be of additional mitigating value.” Correlation of geologic faults with existing well data can be utilized to document horizontal and vertical displacement of sediment layers very near the surface. Faults have been implicated as a contributor to coastal land-loss and submergence of marshlands in south Louisiana, which has a vast amount of subsurface data that can be utilized for near-surface engineering applications.