| Title | Hydraulic Fracturing and Seismicity in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin |
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| Author | Atkinson, G M; Eaton, D W; Ghofrani, H; Walker, D; Cheadle, B; Schultz, R; Shcerhbokov, R; Tiampo, K; Gu, J; Harrington, R M; Liu, Y; vander Baan, M; Kao, H |
| Source | Science vol. 87, no. 3, 2016 p. 631-647, https://doi.org/10.1785/0220150263 |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2016 |
| Alt Series | Earth Sciences Sector, Contribution Series 20150177 |
| Publisher | Seismological Society of America (SSA) |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | paper; on-line; digital |
| File format | pdf |
| Province | British Columbia; Alberta |
| NTS | 82G/01; 82G/02; 82G/03; 82G/06; 82G/07; 82G/08; 82G/09; 82G/10; 82G/11; 82G/14; 82G/15; 82G/16; 82H; 82I/01; 82I/02; 82I/03; 82I/06; 82I/07; 82I/08; 82I/09; 82I/10; 82I/11; 82I/14; 82I/15; 82I/16; 82N/09;
82N/10; 82N/11; 82N/14; 82N/15; 82N/16; 82O/01; 82O/02; 82O/03; 82O/06; 82O/07; 82O/08; 82O/09; 82O/10; 82O/11; 82O/12; 82O/13; 82O/14; 82O/15; 82O/16; 82P/01; 82P/02; 82P/03; 82P/04; 82P/05; 82P/06; 82P/07; 82P/08; 83B; 83C/01; 83C/02; 83C/03;
83C/06; 83C/07; 83C/08; 83C/09; 83C/10; 83C/11; 83C/14; 83C/15; 83C/16; 83E/09; 83E/10; 83E/11; 83E/12; 83E/13; 83E/14; 83E/15; 83E/16; 83F/01; 83F/02; 83F/03; 83F/06; 83F/07; 83F/08; 83F/09; 83F/10; 83F/11; 83F/12; 83F/13; 83F/14; 83F/15; 83F/16;
83G; 83J; 83K; 83L; 83M; 83N; 84C; 84D; 84E; 84F; 84K; 84L; 84M; 84N; 93O; 93P; 94A; 94B; 94G; 94H; 94I; 94J; 94O; 94P |
| Lat/Long WENS | -115.5000 -112.0000 51.5000 49.0000 |
| Lat/Long WENS | -124.0000 -114.0000 60.0000 51.5000 |
| Subjects | engineering geology; fossil fuels; geophysics; hydraulic fracturing; fracturing; seismic risk; earthquake risk; earthquake damage; earthquake magnitudes |
| Illustrations | seismic maps; graphs; charts; schematic diagrams; tables |
| Program | Environmental
Geoscience Shale Gas - seismicity |
| Released | 2016 03 30 |
| Abstract | We investigate the roles that hydraulic fracturing and wastewater disposal play in triggering earthquakes in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. The development of unconventional resources in North
America relies upon massive subsurface injection of fluids, which can induce earthquake activity by activating slip on a nearby fault. In the case of oil and gas operations within the central U.S., most evidence points toward large-scale disposal of
wastewater, typically brine that is co-produced with hydrocarbon, as the primary triggering mechanism of fluid-induced seismicity. In western Canada, by contrast, we find that most of the recent increase in seismicity is linked to hydraulic
fracturing, wherein fluids are injected under high pressure during well completion to induce localized fracturing of a rock formation. Moreover, a postulated relationship between maximum magnitude and net volume of injected fluid significantly
underestimates the maximum observed magnitude of recent events triggered by hydraulic fracturing in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
We investigate the roles that hydraulic fracturing and wastewater disposal play in triggering earthquakes in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. The
development of unconventional resources in North America relies upon massive subsurface injection of fluids, which can induce earthquake activity by activating slip on a nearby fault. In the case of oil and gas operations within the central U.S.,
most evidence points toward large-scale disposal of wastewater, typically brine that is co-produced with hydrocarbon, as the primary triggering mechanism of fluid-induced seismicity. In western Canada, by contrast, we find that most of the recent
increase in seismicity is linked to hydraulic fracturing, wherein fluids are injected under high pressure during well completion to induce localized fracturing of a rock formation. Moreover, a postulated relationship between maximum magnitude and net
volume of injected fluid significantly underestimates the maximum observed magnitude of recent events triggered by hydraulic fracturing in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 296872 |
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