How is hydraulic fracturing related to earthquakes and tremors?
Reports of hydraulic fracturing causing felt earthquakes are extremely rare. However, wastewater produced by wells that were hydraulic fractured can cause “induced” earthquakes when it is injected into deep wastewater wells.
Wastewater disposal wells operate for longer durations and inject much more fluid than the hydraulic fracturing operations. Wastewater injection can raise pressure levels in the rock formation over much longer periods of time and over larger areas than hydraulic fracturing does. Hence, wastewater injection is much more likely to induce earthquakes than hydraulic fracturing.
Most wastewater injection wells are not associated with felt earthquakes. A combination of many factors is necessary for injection to induce felt earthquakes.
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EarthWord – Induced Seismicity
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Generalized image showing the key points in hydraulic fracturing
Generalized image showing the key points in hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas development where water is part of the process.
Wastewater injection
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...Installation of seismometers to monitor induced seismicity
Bryant Platt digs a hole to install seismometers at a home in southern Kansas. Seismometers are in the foreground.