Stability of the Fault Systems That Host-Induced Earthquakes in the Delaware Basin of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico
Stability of the Fault Systems That Host-Induced Earthquakes in the Delaware Basin of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico
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德克萨斯州西部和新墨西哥州东南部特拉华盆地引发地震的断层系统的稳定性
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发表时间：
2021
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
M. Zoback
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
P. Hennings;N. Dvory;E. Horne;Peng Li;A. Savvaidis;M. Zoback
德克萨斯州西部和新墨西哥州东南部的特拉华州盆地经历了与非常规石油作业时空相关的地震率升高。对地下断层、现场地质力学状态以及石油作业影响孔隙压力（Pp）和深部应力状态的确切方式的了解有限，使得难以进行成因评估，而且缓解所需的行动也不确定。为了推进这两个目标，我们整合了全面的区域断层解释，确定性断层滑动潜力（DFSP），和多个地震目录，以具体评估如何断层的两个系统-更深的基底根（BR）和浅正常（SN）-可以使Pp升高滑动。在自然状态下，两个系统中的总体断层具有相对稳定的DFSP，这解释了在人类诱发之前的低地震率。具有自然不稳定DFSP和相关地震序列的BR断层很少，但包括Culberson-Mentone地震带，该地震带靠近废水注入基底以上地层的区域。作为一个系统，在特拉华州盆地中南部的SN故障是一致的，容易滑动的小幅度增加的Pp。许多地震序列发生沿着这些浅断层与升高的Pp从浅废水注入和水力压裂。我们的新地图和方法可用于更好地规划和管理石油作业，以避免断层破裂。
The Delaware basin of west Texas and southeast New Mexico has experienced elevated earthquake rates linked spatiotemporally to unconventional petroleum operations. Limited knowledge of subsurface faults, the in situ geomechanical state, and the exact way in which petroleum operations have affected pore pressure (Pp) and stress state at depth makes causative assessment difficult, and the actions required for mitigation uncertain. To advance both goals, we integrate comprehensive regional fault interpretations, deterministic fault-slip potential (DFSP), and multiple earthquake catalogs to assess specifically how faults of two systems—deeper basement-rooted (BR) and shallow normal (SN)—can be made to slip as Pp is elevated. In their natural state, the overall population faults in both the systems have relatively stable DFSP, which explains the low earthquake rate prior to human inducement. BR faults with naturally unstable DFSP and associated earthquake sequences are few but include the Culberson–Mentone earthquake zone, which is near areas of wastewater injection into strata above basement. As a system, the SN faults in the southcentral Delaware basin are uniformly susceptible to slip with small increases in Pp. Many earthquakes sequences have occurred along these shallow faults in association with elevated Pp from shallow wastewater injection and hydraulic fracturing. Our new maps and methods can be used to better plan and regulate petroleum operations to avoid fault rupture.