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Science. 2015 Jun 19;348(6241):1336-40. doi: 10.1126/science.aab1345.

INDUCED SEISMICITY. High-rate injection is associated with the increase in U.S. mid-continent seismicity.

Author information

1
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA. matthew.weingarten@colorado.edu.
2
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
3
United States Geological Survey, Denver, CO, USA.
4
United States Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA, USA.

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.

PMID:
26089509
DOI:
10.1126/science.aab1345
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