| Title | Induced seismicity research project: accomplishments and looking forward / Projet de recherche en sismicité induite : Accomplissements et prochaines étapes |
| Download | Download (whole publication) |
| |
| Licence | Please note the adoption of the Open Government Licence - Canada
supersedes any previous licences. |
| Author | Kao, H |
| Source | Public presentations: Environmental Geoscience Program, current status of research projects, May 2017; by Jacob, N; Ahad, J; Gammon, P; Rivard, C; Kao, H; White, D; Parsons, M; Galloway, J; Geological Survey of Canada, Scientific Presentation 70, 2017 p. 49-63, https://doi.org/10.4095/305005  Open Access |
| Year | 2017 |
| Publisher | Natural Resources Canada |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | on-line; digital |
| Related | This publication is contained in Public presentations:
Environmental Geoscience Program, current status of research projects, May 2017 |
| Related | This publication is related to Induced Seismicity Research
Project: a brief summary of 2019-20 accomplishments |
| File format | pptx; pdf |
| Province | Canada; British Columbia; Alberta; Saskatchewan; Manitoba; Ontario; Quebec; New Brunswick; Nova Scotia; Prince Edward Island; Newfoundland and Labrador; Northwest Territories; Yukon; Nunavut;
Canada |
| NTS | 1; 2; 3; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 30; 31; 32; 33; 34; 35; 36; 37; 38; 39; 40; 41; 42; 43; 44; 45; 46; 47; 48; 49; 52; 53; 54; 55; 56; 57; 58; 59; 62; 63; 64; 65;
66; 67; 68; 69; 72; 73; 74; 75; 76; 77; 78; 79; 82; 83; 84; 85; 86; 87; 88; 89; 92; 93; 94; 95; 96; 97; 98; 99; 102; 103; 104; 105; 106; 107; 114O; 114P; 115; 116; 117; 120; 340; 560 |
| Lat/Long WENS | -141.0000 -50.0000 90.0000 41.7500 |
| Subjects | environmental geology; geophysics; fossil fuels; environmental studies; environmental impacts; pollutants; hydraulic fracturing; bedrock geology; lithology; sedimentary rocks; shales; petroleum
resources; hydrocarbons; gas; seismicity; earthquakes; seismology; seismic risk; seismographs; August 17, 2015, Mw 4.6, northern Montney earthquake |
| Illustrations | location maps; time series; spectra; focal mechanisms; profiles; plots; seismograms |
| Program | Environmental Geoscience
Management |
| Released | 2017 09 14 |
| Abstract | The development of unconventional oil and gas in North America has caused a significant increase of seismicity in areas of intense injection operations, including both hydraulic fracturing and
wastewater disposal. These induced earthquakes have attracted considerable media attention due to their potential seismic hazards. In 2012, NRCan initiated the Induced Seismicity Research (ISR) Activity as part of the Shale Gas Research Project,
under the Environmental Geoscience Program, to investigate the possible relationship between hydraulic fracturing (HF) of shale gas and the changing pattern of local seismicity. In 2015, the activity was expanded to a Project to include studies of
all injection-related seismic events. NRCan's ISR Project has three major tasks. The first is to improve real-time earthquake-monitoring capability in major shale gas basins where the station coverage of regional seismograph network is sparse. The
second is to establish the baseline of regional seismic pattern (i.e., the pre-development reference line) for places where the development potential of unconventional oil and gas is deemed high in the foreseeable future. The third is to conduct
targeted studies on significant induced events to understand the relationship between their seismogenesis and man-made operations. In collaborations with many partners, new broadband seismograph stations have been installed in BC, AB, NB, SK, QC, NT,
and YT. Studies of local seismicity before, during, and after HF operations have been completed for the northeast BC and western AB, the Moncton and Sussex areas (southern NB), and the Norman Wells area of the central Mackenzie Valley (NT). Regional
earthquake baseline is also established for the areas of St. Lawrence Valley and Anticosti Island, QC. An increase of local seismicity in BC and AB is spatially and temporarily correlated with the peak period of injection operations associated with
shale gas development. Injection volume appears to play a more important role than injection pressure in causing induced events. No abnormal seismicity can be observed when the injection volume is small. Research results of the largest hydraulic
fracturing-induced earthquake to date (the August 17, 2015, Mw 4.6, northern Montney earthquake) indicate that the peak ground acceleration can be as high as 17% g at an epicentral distance of 5 km, suggesting that seismic hazards due to induced
seismicity should not be overlooked. Future efforts of NRCan's ISR include the delineation of seismogenic patterns of injection-induced earthquakes and their implications for regional short- and long-term seismic hazards, detailed investigations of
induced earthquake source characteristics with a multi-disciplinary approach, and the development and establishment of quantitative models to enhance and improve regulatory performances. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
To increase the program visibility, a public science presentation was offered to the entire department (NRCan) and key partners via Tandberg and NRCan
live web on May 9th, 2017. All the Power Point Presentations (7) are included in this Scientific Presentation and key words associated to the research are as follow: oil sands, groundwater, shale gas, induced seismicity, geological storage, critical
metal deposits and geoscience tools. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 305005 |
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