Induced Earthquakes Overview Active
As part of our work to better understand areas of induced earthquakes, the USGS installs seismometers in areas of increased seismicity, provides hazard estimations, and uses numerical models.
Increasing Rate of Earthquakes Beginning in 2009
The number of earthquakes in the central U.S. has increased dramatically over the past decade. Between the years 1973–2008, there was an average of 25 earthquakes of magnitude three and larger in the central and eastern United States. Since 2009, at least 58 earthquakes of this size have occurred each year, and at least 100 earthquakes of this size every year since 2013. The rate peaked in 2015 with 1010 M3+ earthquakes. Since 2015, earthquake rate has declined. In 2019, 130 M3+ earthquakes occurred in the same region. Nonetheless, this rate is far higher than the average of 25 earthquakes per year. Most of these earthquakes are in the magnitude 3–4 range — large enough to have been felt by many people—yet small enough to rarely cause damage. Damage has been caused by some of the larger events, including the M5.8 Pawnee and M5.0 Cushing Oklahoma earthquakes that occurred in 2016.
This increase in earthquakes prompts two important questions:
- Are they natural, or man-made?
- What should be done in the future as we address the causes and consequences of these events to reduce associated risks?
Shaking intensity from injection-induced versus tectonic earthquakes in the central-eastern United States
The petroleum geologist and the insurance policy
A century of induced earthquakes in Oklahoma?
Reactivated faulting near Cushing, Oklahoma: Increased potential for a triggered earthquake in an area of United States strategic infrastructure
Delayed dynamic triggering of deep tremor along the Parkfield-Cholame section of the San Andreas Fault following the 2014 M6.0 South Napa earthquake
Differentiating induced and natural seismicity using space-time-magnitude statistics applied to the Coso Geothermal field
Myths and facts on wastewater injection, hydraulic fracturing, enhanced oil recovery, and induced seismicity
Hundreds of earthquakes per day: The 2014 Guthrie, Oklahoma, Earthquake Sequence
A century of oilfield operations and earthquakes in the greater Los Angeles Basin, southern California
Increasing seismicity in the U. S. midcontinent: Implications for earthquake hazard
Surface monitoring of microseismicity at the Decatur, Illinois, CO2 sequestration demonstration site
Efforts to monitor and characterize the recent increasing seismicity in central Oklahoma
- Overview
As part of our work to better understand areas of induced earthquakes, the USGS installs seismometers in areas of increased seismicity, provides hazard estimations, and uses numerical models.
Increasing Rate of Earthquakes Beginning in 2009
The number of earthquakes in the central U.S. has increased dramatically over the past decade. Between the years 1973–2008, there was an average of 25 earthquakes of magnitude three and larger in the central and eastern United States. Since 2009, at least 58 earthquakes of this size have occurred each year, and at least 100 earthquakes of this size every year since 2013. The rate peaked in 2015 with 1010 M3+ earthquakes. Since 2015, earthquake rate has declined. In 2019, 130 M3+ earthquakes occurred in the same region. Nonetheless, this rate is far higher than the average of 25 earthquakes per year. Most of these earthquakes are in the magnitude 3–4 range — large enough to have been felt by many people—yet small enough to rarely cause damage. Damage has been caused by some of the larger events, including the M5.8 Pawnee and M5.0 Cushing Oklahoma earthquakes that occurred in 2016.
This increase in earthquakes prompts two important questions:
- Are they natural, or man-made?
- What should be done in the future as we address the causes and consequences of these events to reduce associated risks?
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 76
Shaking intensity from injection-induced versus tectonic earthquakes in the central-eastern United States
Although instrumental recordings of earthquakes in the central and eastern United States (CEUS) remain sparse, the U. S. Geological Survey's “Did you feel it?” (DYFI) system now provides excellent characterization of shaking intensities caused by induced and tectonic earthquakes. Seventeen CEUS events are considered between 2013 and 2015. It is shown that for 15 events, observed intensities at epiAuthorsSusan E. HoughThe petroleum geologist and the insurance policy
In a recent study, Hough and Page (2015) presented several lines of evidence suggesting that most of the significant earthquakes in Oklahoma during the twentieth century, including the Mw 5.7 El Reno earthquake of 9 April 1952, were likely induced by wastewater injection and possibly secondary oil recovery operations. We undertook an archival search for accounts of this event, which unearthed a neAuthorsSusan E. Hough, Morgan T. PageA century of induced earthquakes in Oklahoma?
Seismicity rates have increased sharply since 2009 in the central and eastern United States, with especially high rates of activity in the state of Oklahoma. Growing evidence indicates that many of these events are induced, primarily by injection of wastewater in deep disposal wells. The upsurge in activity has raised two questions: What is the background rate of tectonic earthquakes in Oklahoma?AuthorsSusan E. Hough, Morgan T. PageReactivated faulting near Cushing, Oklahoma: Increased potential for a triggered earthquake in an area of United States strategic infrastructure
In October 2014 two moderate-sized earthquakes (Mw 4.0 and 4.3) struck south of Cushing, Oklahoma, below the largest crude oil storage facility in the world. Combined analysis of the spatial distribution of earthquakes and regional moment tensor focal mechanisms indicate reactivation of a subsurface unnamed and unmapped left-lateral strike-slip fault. Coulomb failure stress change calculations usiAuthorsDaniel E. McNamara, Gavin P. Hayes, Harley M. Benz, Robert Williams, Nicole D McMahon, R.C. Aster, Austin F. Holland, T Sickbert, Robert B. Herrmann, Richard W. Briggs, Gregory M. Smoczyk, Eric Bergman, Paul S. EarleDelayed dynamic triggering of deep tremor along the Parkfield-Cholame section of the San Andreas Fault following the 2014 M6.0 South Napa earthquake
Large, distant earthquakes are known to trigger deep tectonic tremor along the San Andreas Fault and in subduction zones. However, there are relatively few observations of triggering from regional distance earthquakes. Here we show that a small tremor episode about 12–18 km NW of Parkfield was triggered during and immediately following the passage of surface waves from the 2014 Mw 6.0 South Napa mAuthorsZhigang Peng, David R. Shelly, William L. EllsworthDifferentiating induced and natural seismicity using space-time-magnitude statistics applied to the Coso Geothermal field
A remarkable characteristic of earthquakes is their clustering in time and space, displaying their self-similarity. It remains to be tested if natural and induced earthquakes share the same behavior. We study natural and induced earthquakes comparatively in the same tectonic setting at the Coso Geothermal Field. Covering the preproduction and coproduction periods from 1981 to 2013, we analyze inteAuthorsMartin Schoenball, Nicholas C. Davatzes, Jonathan M. G. GlenMyths and facts on wastewater injection, hydraulic fracturing, enhanced oil recovery, and induced seismicity
The central United States has undergone a dramatic increase in seismicity over the past 6 years (Fig. 1), rising from an average of 24 M≥3 earthquakes per year in the years 1973–2008 to an average of 193 M≥3 earthquakes in 2009–2014, with 688 occurring in 2014 alone. Multiple damaging earthquakes have occurred during this increase including the 2011 M 5.6 Prague, Oklahoma, earthquake; the 2011 M 5AuthorsJustin L. Rubinstein, Alireza Babaie MahaniHundreds of earthquakes per day: The 2014 Guthrie, Oklahoma, Earthquake Sequence
A remarkable increase in seismic activity in Oklahoma since 2009 has been shown to correlate closely with enhanced hydrocarbon extraction and associated wastewater disposal; 99% of this recent Oklahoma earthquake activity has occurred within 15 km of a call II injection well (Ellsworth, 2013). In response to this increase in seismic activity, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) partnered with theAuthorsHarley M. Benz, Nicole D McMahon, R Aster, Daniel E. McNamara, David J. HarrisA century of oilfield operations and earthquakes in the greater Los Angeles Basin, southern California
Most of the seismicity in the Los Angeles Basin (LA Basin) occurs at depth below the sediments and is caused by transpressional tectonics related to the big bend in the San Andreas fault. However, some of the seismicity could be associated with fluid extraction or injection in oil fields that have been in production for almost a century and cover ∼ 17% of the basin. In a recent study, first the inAuthorsEgill Hauksson, Thomas Goebel, Jean-Paul Ampuero, Elizabeth S. CochranIncreasing seismicity in the U. S. midcontinent: Implications for earthquake hazard
Earthquake activity in parts of the central United States has increased dramatically in recent years. The space-time distribution of the increased seismicity, as well as numerous published case studies, indicates that the increase is of anthropogenic origin, principally driven by injection of wastewater coproduced with oil and gas from tight formations. Enhanced oil recovery and long-term productiAuthorsWilliam L. Ellsworth, Andrea L. Llenos, Arthur F. McGarr, Andrew J. Michael, Justin L. Rubinstein, Charles S. Mueller, Mark D. Petersen, Eric CalaisSurface monitoring of microseismicity at the Decatur, Illinois, CO2 sequestration demonstration site
Sequestration of CO2 into subsurface reservoirs can play an important role in limiting future emission of CO2 into the atmosphere (e.g., Benson and Cole, 2008). For geologic sequestration to become a viable option to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, large-volume injection of supercritical CO2 into deep sedimentary formations is required. These formations offer large pore volumes and good pore connAuthorsJ. Ole Kaven, Stephen H. Hickman, Arthur F. McGarr, William L. EllsworthEfforts to monitor and characterize the recent increasing seismicity in central Oklahoma
The sharp increase in seismicity over a broad region of central Oklahoma has raised concerns regarding the source of the activity and its potential hazard to local communities and energy-industry infrastructure. Efforts to monitor and characterize the earthquake sequences in central Oklahoma are reviewed. Since early 2010, numerous organizations have deployed temporary portable seismic stations inAuthorsDaniel E. McNamara, Justin L. Rubinstein, Emma Myers, Gregory M. Smoczyk, Harley M. Benz, Robert Williams, Gavin P. Hayes, David C. Wilson, Robert B. Herrmann, Nicole D McMahon, R.C. Aster, E. Bergman, Austin Holland, Paul S. Earle