Analysis of wastewater injection and prospect regions for induced seismicity in the Texas panhandle, United States摘要
Subsurface injection of wastewater, coproduced with oil and gas, has been linked to an increasing number of earthquakes throughout the southern midcontinent of the United States. This study aims to compare subsurface injection of produced water to the increased number of earthquakes in the panhandle region of Texas. For this study, saltwater disposal and enhanced oil recovery through underground injection control wells were analyzed from 1983 to 2018. During this period, 64 earthquakes of magnitude ≥2.5 were recorded. Average earthquake rates increased from 1.21 earthquakes per year (1983–2007) to 3.50 earthquakes per year (2008–2018). A total of 2.26 billion bbl of wastewater was injected into 34 geologic stratigraphic formations through 1926 active underground injection control wells in the study area. Disposal zones were concentrated in a few geographic regions and geologic formations. Approximately 1.96 billion bbl (87% of total) of wastewater was injected into seven geologic formations, including the igneous Precambrian basement; another 27 formations each received less than 100 million bbl. Results indicate that 61% of earthquakes have minimal or stronger evidence of being induced by a combination of underground injection control and oil and gas practices. Additionally, this research identified regions where future earthquakes could be induced by current underground injection control and oil and gas operations. Understanding how and where underground injection control and oil and gas operations are affecting seismicity rates in Texas can allow researchers, regulators, and operators to propose strategies to reduce or mitigate induced seismicity.
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