High-rate injection is associated with the increase in U.S. mid-continent seismicity
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Abstract
An unprecedented increase in earthquakes in the U.S. mid-continent began in 2009. Many of these earthquakes have been documented as induced by wastewater injection. We examine the relationship between wastewater injection and U.S. mid-continent seismicity using a newly assembled injection well database for the central and eastern United States. We find that the entire increase in earthquake rate is associated with fluid injection wells. High-rate injection wells (>300,000 barrels per month) are much more likely to be associated with earthquakes than lower-rate wells. At the scale of our study, a well’s cumulative injected volume, monthly wellhead pressure, depth, and proximity to crystalline basement do not strongly correlate with earthquake association. Managing injection rates may be a useful tool to minimize the likelihood of induced earthquakes.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | High-rate injection is associated with the increase in U.S. mid-continent seismicity |
| Series title | Science |
| DOI | 10.1126/science.aab1345 |
| Volume | 348 |
| Issue | 6241 |
| Year Published | 2015 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | AAAS |
| Contributing office(s) | Office of the AD Hazards, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis |
| Description | 5 p. |
| First page | 1336 |
| Last page | 340 |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |