Induced seismicity: the potential hazard from shale gas development and CO2 geologic storage

Abstract

We present an overview of the current status of unconventional energy development, particularly of shale gas, and underground CO 2 storage as a measure to mitigate greenhouse gas increase in the atmosphere. We review their potential to induce seismicity, which has caused debates among related energy enterprises, engineers, researchers, and environmental and public communities regarding their potential hazards. Studies show that fracking can be a problem in that it consumes abundant water, but the seismicity induced by fracking has not yet been observed to induce many felt earthquakes. However, massive wastewater injection, a part of the unconventional energy development process has caused M5.0+ earthquakes in the past as well as several recent and ongoing cases of induced seismicity. Large-scale CO 2 injection as a part of carbon sequestration efforts in the near future has a high risk of inducing large earthquakes. Therefore, injection operations related to both unconventional energy development and carbon sequestration should be optimized and managed to mitigate the likelihood of an induced seismic event.

Far‐field pressurization likely caused one of the largest injection induced earthquakes by reactivating a large preexisting basement fault structure

“…Hydraulic fracturing stimulation typically involves injection over several hours up to several days and is significantly smaller in total injected volume than typical wastewater injection [Rubinstein and Mahani, 2015;Lee et al, 2016]. Hydraulic fracturing stimulation typically involves injection over several hours up to several days and is significantly smaller in total injected volume than typical wastewater injection [Rubinstein and Mahani, 2015;Lee et al, 2016].…”

Moratoria for Global Governance and Contested Technology: The Case of Climate Engineering

“…They include disruption of ma- 42 49 and induced seismicity or re-release of stored material from geological sequestration. 50 These risks would be present even with ideally competent and prudent CE deployment. Other risks are not intrinsic to the methods, but depend on how they are used.…”

Challenges of Groundwater as Resources in the Near Future

“…Recently, shale gas development aggravates this water situation because the new technology, called fracking, applied for the gas development requires a large quantity of freshwater injection (20 million liters of water into each gas well; Howarth et al, 2011). China is the top country having technically recoverable shale gas resource and thus the energy source never be given up (Lee et al, 2015).…”

“…So the climate extremes (droughts and floods) are common (Easterling et al, 2000;Lee et al, 2015). With context of water resources management, the most important thing we must consider in this stage is to predict precipitation over time and space with enough spatial resolution and reliability.…”