Sentences with phrase «induced earthquakes»

These are a subset of more than 800,000 permitted UIC wells nationwide that serve the needs of many different industries and governmental entities.22 The majority of disposal wells in the United States do not pose a hazard for induced seismicity, but under some geologic and reservoir conditions a limited number of injection wells have been determined to be responsible for induced earthquakes with felt levels of ground shaking.

It's well documented in the geoscience literature that serious, induced seismicity or human - induced earthquakes can occur as a result of fluid injection for secondary oil production.

Human induced earthquakes and induced seismicity often occur in regions of previously low histories of seismic activity.

There are abundant technical publications about «anthropogenic» earthquakes only the correct geoscience names are «human induced earthquakes,» «triggered earthquakes» and «induced seismicity.»

Under the right geological conditions, human induced earthquakes are caused by a variety of natural resource activities.

In addition, the repeated filling and emptying of water from large reservoirs such as in Lake Mead behind the Hoover Dam all have been responsible for human induced earthquakes.

Human - induced earthquakes have been reported from every continent except Antarctica.

Combining theory and computer simulations of dynamic earthquake ruptures, Ampuero and his colleagues developed a model that explains how the size of injection - induced earthquakes depends on not only the volume of fluid being injected but also the energy stored on nearby faults.

«Locations across the central and eastern United States (CEUS) have been experiencing a rapid increase in the number of induced earthquakes over the past 7 years.

However, other mechanisms such as fluid withdrawal, enhanced oil recovery, or hydraulic fracturing processes can also result in induced earthquakes.»

Zenming Wang and colleagues are preparing for the onset of oil and gas exploration in the Rome Trough of eastern Kentucky, conducting a study of the natural background seismicity in the area to be able to better identify induced earthquakes if they occur.

While the SMU Azle study adds to the growing body of evidence connecting some injection wells and, to a lesser extent, some oil and gas production to induced earthquakes, SMU's team notes that there are many thousands of injection and / or production wells that are not associated with earthquakes.

In her SSA presentation, Gail Atkinson of Western University will discuss the factors that affect the likelihood of damaging ground motion from fracking - induced earthquakes.

Most induced earthquakes in Canada have been linked to hydraulic fracturing, in contrast to induced earthquakes studied in the central and eastern United States.

«Anticipating hazards from fracking - induced earthquakes in Canada and US.»

Experts say the work could be used to explain why some areas are more prone to human - induced earthquakes, such as Oklahoma, which now sees more earthquakes than California.

Despite the increasing seismicity in the central and eastern US, induced earthquakes are presently excluded from USGS estimates of earthquake hazard.

Looking at seismic records near Fox Creek, in northwest Alberta, where there are six drilling sites, researchers found an intermittent set of induced earthquakes between December 2014 and March 2015, clustered around fracking operations.

Fracking is now recommencing onshore in the UK after it was halted because of fracking - induced earthquakes.

Managing injection rates may be a useful tool to minimize the likelihood of induced earthquakes.

The team also found that wastewater injection induced earthquakes as far as 30 kilometers away from the wells, much farther than previously thought.

So far, most induced earthquakes have done no more than rattle windows.

«If there's a lag in the occurrence of induced earthquakes, we expect there might be a similar lag in any effects of a reduction in injections,» Walter said.

The study was supported by the Stanford Center for Induced and Triggered Seismicity, an industrial affiliates program that studies scientific and operational issues associated with triggered and induced earthquakes.

«The most obvious induced seismicity trend in HiQuake is the recent increase in the number of waste - fluid disposal projects reported to have induced earthquakes.

Other human activities related to unconventional extraction contribute to induced earthquakes as well, Wilson noted.

Mining projects (37 %) and water impounded behind dams (23 %) are the most commonly reported causes of induced earthquakes, but unconventional oil and gas extraction projects using hydraulic fracturing, are now a frequent addition to the database, said Miles Wilson, a geophysicist at Durham University working on the HiQuake research effort.

There is a growing interest in understanding the risks associated with injection - induced earthquakes, especially in the areas of the country where damaging earthquakes are rare.

U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist William Ellsworth reviewed the issue of injection - induced earthquakes in a recent study published in the journal Science.

To meet these challenges, the USGS hopes to increase research efforts to understand the causes and effects of injection - induced earthquakes.

As noted previously, wastewater associated with hydraulic fracturing has been linked to some, but not all, of the induced earthquakes.

USGS scientists are dedicated to gaining a better understanding of the geological conditions and industrial practices associated with induced earthquakes, and to determining how seismic risk can be managed.

Although the hazard of induced earthquakes is uncertain, regulators in Oklahoma and elsewhere are starting to limit well operations and require more frequent reporting of well data.

«Fracking — not wastewater disposal — linked to most induced earthquakes in Western Canada.»

A survey of a major oil and natural gas - producing region in Western Canada suggests a link between hydraulic fracturing or «fracking» and induced earthquakes in the region, according to a new report published online in the journal Seismological Research Letters.

The finding contradicts previous observations suggesting that induced earthquakes exhibit weaker shaking than natural ones.

«Now we can begin to reduce our uncertainty about how hard induced earthquakes shake the ground, and that should lead to more accurate estimates of the risks these earthquakes pose to society going forward.»

Researchers are also tracking induced earthquakes in Canada, and the current batch of studies suggests that fracking might be more significant than wastewater disposal for causing earthquakes in that country, according to focus section co-editor David Eaton of the University of Calgary.

These human - caused earthquakes are sometimes called «induced earthquakes.»

Other articles in the issue investigate characteristics of induced earthquakes that have been proposed to be different in natural and induced earthquakes, including their ground shaking and faulting styles.

Guest editor Justin Rubinstein, a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, explains that most of the induced earthquakes felt in the United States are from the disposal of large amounts of wastewater from oil and gas production.

About 3 million people in Oklahoma and southern Kansas live with an increased risk of experiencing induced earthquakes.

In response, academic researchers, the federal government, energy companies and regulatory agencies have mobilized to try to reduce the frequency and strength of induced earthquakes — and a series of recent papers and other findings shows they have made rapid progress, although many questions remain.

Economic or policy conditions could affect the frequency of induced earthquakes, Petersen says.

Science agencies and regulators finally seem to be taking induced earthquakes seriously.

«As we can learn better practices, we can help ensure that the hazards induced earthquakes pose can be reduced in other parts of the world as well,» Ellsworth said.

And geologists now say that such induced earthquakes could potentially be large, up to magnitude 7, which is big enough to cause buildings to collapse and widespread damage.

«This report represents our first step in identifying and quantifying the ground shaking from induced earthquakes.»

But that map ignored the threat of induced earthquakes, precisely because the frequency of these earthquakes was likely to change over the course of 50 years.

«Even within areas with many human - induced earthquakes, however, the activity that seems to induce seismicity at one location may be taking place at many other locations without inducing felt earthquakes.»