Injection induced earthquakes pdf files

In theory, this allows for event forecasting and seismicity management if the background rate of small earthquakes can be measured. The recent increase in induced seismicity related to uog operations. In the barnett shale play region, earthquakes occur near high volume injection disposal wells. Frackingwastewaterinjectionandearthquakes significant earthquakes have been scientifically linked to fracking wastewater injection in at least five states. A much broader scale study relating induced seismicity to. Plain language summary studies of the triggering mechanisms of injection. Hydraulic fracturing and seismicity in the western canada. Probabilistic assessment of potential fault slip related. Seismologists are often left looking for correlations in time and space between injection activities and earthquakes. In the context of injectioninduced seismicity, the processes that control how large an. Patterns of induced seismicity in central and northwest. During the last 5 years, accelerated oilfield fluid injection has led to a sharp increase in the rate of earthquakes in some parts of north america. Induced seismicity refers to typically minor earthquakes and tremors that are caused by human activity that alters the stresses and strains on the earths crust.

Texas, ohio, and colorado have also seen significant increases in the number and severity of manmade earthquakes stemming from deep well injection of drilling waste. E managingbasinscalefluidbudgetstoreduce injectioninduced. Importantly, as mentioned above, the risk is not only that there are more frequent earthquakes, it is also that those earthquakes have been and will continue to be more severe. Wells not requiring surface pressure to inject wastewater can still induce earthquakes. Injectioninduced seismicity and faultslip potential in. The media commonly report on induced earthquakes incorrectly, and consequently policy makers and the. Induced seismicity in oklahoma no documented case of induced seismicity close to oklahoma in earthquake rate or affected area only 34% of earthquakes occur within 2 km of any known fault.

This was observed following waste water injection in youngstown, ohio kim, 20, and due to geothermal operations in basel, switzerland deichmann and. This report discusses known cases of injection induced seismicity and how and why earthquakes may be triggered, as well as conditions under which the triggering is most likely to occur. Review and recommendations for induced seismic mitigation. In intraplate regions neither infrastructure nor populations may be prepared for earthquakes. A brief overview congressional research service summary the development of unconventional oil and natural gas resources using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has created new demand for disposal wells that inject waste fluids into deep geologic formations. Induced seismicity in oklahoma is a recent political, economic, and scientific issue that has come to light in the past decade. In this study i consider the ground motions generated by 11 moderate m w 4. Most induced seismicity can be contributed to processes such as. Ogs statement about the cause of 2011 prague earthquake sequence.

Ellsworth earthquakes in unusual locations have become an important topic of discussion in both north america and europe, owing to the concern that industrial activity could cause damaging earthquakes. How to reduce fluidinjectioninduced seismicity request pdf. Many of these earthquakes have been documented as induced by wastewater injection. This report is developed by the statesfirst induced seismicity by injection work. Humaninduced earthquak es have become an importan t topic of political and scien. Myths and facts on wastewater injection, hydraulic fracturing, enhanced oil recovery, and induced seismicity. One mechanism by which injectionrelated pore pressure increases can trigger seismic slip is well understood in the context of mohrcoulomb failure criteria e. Part ii analyzes and compares existing regulatory schemes at both the state and federal levels. Probabilistic assessment of potential fault slip related to. It is widely observed that earthquakes continue after injection has stopped, and it is not uncommon for the largest earthquake to occur after injection has ceased.

Without these kinds of data, it is very difficult to determine whether earthquakes are induced or natural. Injectioninduced earthquakes, such as those that struck in 2011, clearly contribute to the seismic hazard. Injectioninduced seismicity from class ii disposal wells. It has long been known that impoundment of reservoirs, surface and. One mechanism by which injection related pore pressure increases can trigger seismic slip is well understood in the context of mohrcoulomb failure criteria e. Injectioninduced earthquakes have, in particular, become a focus of discussion as the application of hydraulic fracturing to tight shale formations is enabling the production of oil and gas from. This report discusses known cases of injectioninduced seismicity and how and why earthquakes may be triggered, as well as conditions under which the triggering is most likely to occur. Injectioninduced earthquakes are thought to be caused by pressure changes due to excess fluid injected deep below the surface and are being dubbed manmade earthquakes. Usgs scientists are warning that the smaller earthquakes induced by the injection of production.

A critical issue in seismology is to understand the relationship between earthquakes on various scales, giving the similarities and differences between the large earthquakes that occur on plate boundaries through to the very small shallow events associated with mining. Wastewater disposal has been associated with induced earthquakes at a number of sites in the central and eastern united. Previous induced seismicity mitigation strategies encouraged injecting in sedimentary units instead of directlyinto the basement. Injectioninduced seismicity and faultslip potential in the.

Managing induced seismicity from wastewater injection. After dividing northcentral oklahoma into six study areas, we invert earthquake focal plane mechanisms in each area to constrain the orientation and relative magnitude of the principal stresses. Placing the problem in perspective nicholas deichmann, swiss seismological service, switzerland. We examine the relationship between wastewater injection and u. Ongoing injection operations in the region should be conducted with these understandings in mind. Ogs statement on usgs maps of potential groundshaking hazards 2017 pdf april 21, 2015 ogs statement on oklahoma earthquakes. Injectioninduced earthquakes have, in particular, become a focus of discussion as the application of hydraulic fracturing to tight shale formations is enabling the production of oil and gas from previously unproductive formations.

For example, over the past 6 years, northcentral oklahoma and southernmost kansas experienced thousands of widely felt earthquakes m. Evans, institute of engineering geology, eth zurich, switzerland. How large are the earthquakes induced by fluid injection. Sep 23, 2016 coping with earthquakes induced by fluid injection menlo park, calif. Results of ongoing multiyear research on induced earthquakes by the united states geological survey usgs published in 2015 suggested that most of the significant earthquakes in oklahoma, such as the 1952 magnitude 5. Other information on triggered or induced seismicity. Shaking from injectioninduced earthquakes in the central and. Here, we present a modeling approach for simulating seismicity induced by fluid injection in 3d over multiple earthquake cycles. Injectioninduced earthquakes, such as those that struck in 2011, clearly contribute to the seismic. The report also outlines the regulatory framework for these injection wells, and identifies several federal and state initiatives responding to recent events of induced seismicity associated with class ii disposal. There have been more than 500 earthquakes in 2016 of magnitude 3 or greater, and in response to the 5. If injectioninduced stresses inhibit slip, abrupt shutin can lead to locally sharp increases in seismicity. Not all wastewater injection wells induce felt earthquakes. Induced seismicity is typically defined as smaller magnitude earthquakes 3.

Earthquakes induced by injection of chemical waste in a deep well release of longstored tectonic stress on ancient faults earthquakes occurred more than 10 km from injection point largest earthquake mw 4. Injectioninduced earthquakes have, in particular, become a focus of discussion as the application of hydraulic fracturing to tight shale formations is enabling the. Mid this article has been rated as midimportance on. If you would like to participate, you can choose to edit this article, or visit the project page for more information. The nisar satellite mission will improve our ability to characterize such induced earthquakes, and increase our understanding of changing earthquake likelihoods. Human induced earthquakes that cause nuisance are rare, but in some cases may be a significant problem. Minimizing and managing potential impacts of injectioninduced. Understanding induced earthquakes earthquakes are now occurring in areas with little historical seismicity as a result of activities associated with resource extraction. The spatial footprint of injection wells in a global. Earthquake hazard associated with deep well injection a. Part i looks at the growing problems associated with injection disposal wells and induced seismicity. The larger spatial scale of pressure propagation makes it more. Summary the development of unconventional oil and natural gas resources using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has created new demand for disposal wells that inject waste fluids into deep geologic formations. Induced seismicity is part of wikiproject geology, an attempt at creating a standardized, informative, comprehensive and easytouse geology resource.

Highrate injection is associated with the increase in u. A paper published today in science provides a case for increasing transparency and data collection to enable strategies for mitigating the effects of humaninduced earthquakes caused by wastewater injection associated with oil and gas production in the united states. Shaking from injectioninduced earthquakes in the central. A brief overview congressional research service summary the development of unconventional oil and natural gas resources using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has created new demand for disposal. Although most induced earthquakes are smaller magnitude, there are several induced earthquakes that are a magnitude 4. It has long been understood that earthquakes can be induced by impoundment of. This case study documents two parallel seismic monitoring efforts one. The largest earthquake induced by fluid injection that has been documented in the scientific literature was a magnitude 5. Earthquake hazard associated with deep well injection a report to the u. Earthquakes are not typical of oklahoma but in the past 10 years, oklahoma has surpassed even california in earthquake frequency.

Current understanding of induced seismicity in the united states. Most injection wells are not associated with felt earthquakes. The pawnee earthquake as a result of the interplay among. Induced or triggered seismicity here taken to mean the same is a recognised hazard in practically all engineering. With enough information, induced models can inform design requirements for earthquakeresistant construction induced seismicity figure 1. Earthquakes induced by deep injection there has been a growing realization that the principal seismic hazard from injectioninduced earthquakes comes from those associated with disposal of wastewater into deep strata or basement formations 5. Myths and facts on wastewater injection, hydraulic fracturing. Wesson2 summary within the united states, injection of fluid into deep wells has triggered documented earthquakes in colorado, texas, new york, new mexico, nebraska, and ohio and. We conclude that most faults in the system are highly sensitive to reactivation, and we postulate that many faults are still unidentified. Using spatially rich intensity data from the usgs did you feel it. The remaining earthquakes are induced by wastewater disposal. It has long been known that impoundmen t of reservoirs. However, recent studies suggest that induced earthquakes can occur as far as 20 km away from the injection zone with longterm fluid diffusion 8, 9.

Here, we list common misconceptions about induced earthquakes and then correct them. C this article has been rated as cclass on the projects quality scale. Therefore, wastewater injection can raise pressure levels more than enhanced oil recovery, and thus increases the likelihood of induced earthquakes. E managingbasinscalefluidbudgetstoreduce injection.

Review injectioninduced earthquakes stanford university. And, starting around 2009, so have the number of induced earthquakes. We argue that, yes, small earthquakes do matter, and their interaction may be an important triggering mechanism to consider. Most injection wells do not trigger felt earthquakes. In this study i consider the ground motions generated by 11 moderate mw4. Induced seismicity f rom oil and gas wastewater injection.

It is not clear the density of faulting is greater in oklahoma than elsewhere in the midcontinent. A critical issue in seismology is to understand the relationship between earthquakes on various scales, giving the similarities and differences between the large earthquakes that occur on plate boundaries through to the. A few sites regularly have larger quakes, such as the geysers geothermal plant in california which averaged two m4 events and 15 m3 events every year from 2004 to 2009. Understanding the spatiotemporal evolution of induced earthquake sequences like those in the fwb provides data to inform mitigation strategies. Environmental protection agency by craig nicholson1 and robert l. The 2001 present induced earthquake sequence in the raton. Myths and facts on wastewater injection, hydraulic. Injection induced earthquakes have, in particular, become a focus of discussion as the application of hydraulic fracturing to tight shale formations is enabling the production of oil and gas from. Although induced seismicity related to underground injection activities was irst observed in the. A brief overview congressional research service summary the development of unconventional oil and natural gas resources using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing fracking has created new demand for wastewater disposal wells that inject waste fluids into deep geologic strata. Human induced earthquakes have become an important topic of political and scien. In oklahoma, which has the most induced earthquakes in us, only 12% of the earthquakes can be linked to hydraulic fracturing operations.

British columbia oil and gas commission bcogc, 2012. Increasing rate of earthquakes beginning in 2009 and not just in oklahoma. In the central united states, most induced seismicity is linked to deep disposal of coproduced wastewater from oil and gas extraction. Pdf managing injectioninduced seismic risks researchgate. Modeling injectioninduced seismicity with the physicsbased. In the eagle ford play region, earthquakes are not near injection wells, but follow increases in extraction of waterpetroleum. Ogs fluid injection induced seismicity workshop, july 16, 20 summary. Not all wastewater injection wells induce earthquakes.