Does Proximity of Hydraulic Fracturing and Wastewater Disposal to Basement Increase the Likelihood of Induced Seismicity in the Central and Eastern US?

水力压裂和废水处理与地质基岩的接近是否增加了美国中部和东部地震活动的可能性？在过去的十年中，人们认为增加使用强化石油和天然气回收作业是美国中部和东部地震急剧增加的主要原因。 然而，一些经历过这种增加的地区，如宾夕法尼亚州和北达科他州，似乎很少有与这些行动有关的地震。 这项研究旨在通过检查石油和天然气作业与地质基底岩石的地下接近是否会促进地震来更好地理解这些地理差异。 位于地表以下几英里处，基底由火成岩和变质岩组成，其中可能包含许多古老的断层。 水力压裂和废水处理作业都导致靠近基底的深层流体注入，可能会重新激活这些基底断层，产生地震。 这项研究试图通过改进地震探测，完善对地下室深度的了解，并将其与石油和天然气作业的地理位置，深度和时间进行比较来测试这一想法。 特别是，研究人员将应用新的地震数据处理方法来更好地检测小地震，从州数据库中汇编详细的油井作业记录，并绘制美国中部和东部地区的区域基底深度图。 为了实现这些目标，该项目将利用新的方法来发展大规模的本科生研究参与。 该项目还将增加与地质调查、州监管机构以及石油和天然气行业的知识转移。 研究人员将继续建立在公众宣传的记录基础上，包括积极传播和与新闻媒体讨论，考虑到全国对水力压裂的辩论。 为了提高诱发地震活动的检测，本研究将首先采用模板匹配的方法，已成功地从自然地震识别诱发。 这项研究还将利用一种新兴技术来检测通常与诱发事件相关的重复性微震群，而不需要以前编目的地震作为模板。 这些方法将用于美国中部和东部的地震台站，并将提供更统一的诱发地震活动检测。 为了改善基底深度表征，本研究将整合最近绘制的基底图，特别是国家地质调查和区域汇编的基底图。 深井威尔斯还将有助于描述注入/水力压裂目标层段和基底之间的地质特征，以确定这些地下岩石的机械特性是否会影响诱发地震的发生。 该项目将积极参与美国中部和东部的州地质调查，以实现项目目标。 在某些情况下，我们的研究将受益于国家地质调查局和其他机构进行的现有基底，地质或地震活动特征。 在其他情况下，我们希望为这些机构提供这些信息。 地质调查也是向公众传播信息的关键，因此本研究将利用这些机会，将该项目的新成果与这些国家调查已经提供的现有教育资源相结合。 这个项目还将利用新的本科课程结构，介绍基础研究的概念，在学生的早期？在大学生涯中，让更多的学生参与到像这样的研究项目中来。 指导将正式化，以建立以项目目标为重点的专题研究小组。 研究结果将在学术界内外传播，继续吸引行业和监管机构以及公众的参与。

Does Proximity of Hydraulic Fracturing and Wastewater Disposal to Geologic Basement Rocks Increase the Likelihood of Seismicity in the Central and Eastern US?Over the past decade, the increased use of enhanced oil and gas recovery operations is thought to be largely responsible for a dramatic rise in earthquakes in the in the Central and Eastern US. However, some areas that have experienced such an increase, such as in Pennsylvania and North Dakota, appear to have little if any earthquakes related to these operations. This study seeks to better understand these geographic differences by examining whether the subsurface proximity of oil and gas operations to geologic basement rocks promotes earthquakes. Located a few miles below the surface, the basement is comprised of igneous and metamorphic rocks that can contain numerous ancient faults. Both hydraulic fracturing and wastewater disposal operations result in deep fluid injection occurring close to the basement may have the potential to reactivate these basement faults, producing earthquakes. This study seeks to test this idea by improving earthquake detection, refining knowledge of how deep the basement is, and comparing these to the geographic location, depth, and timing of oil and gas operations. In particular, the researchers will apply new processing of seismic data to better detect small earthquakes, compile detailed records of well operations from state databases, and produce regional basement-depth maps across the Central and Eastern US. To accomplish these goals, this project will leverage new approaches to developing large-scale undergraduate research involvement. This project will also increase knowledge transfer with geologic surveys, state regulators, and the oil and gas industry. The researchers will continue to build on a track record of public outreach including proactive dissemination and discussion with the news media considering the national debate over hydraulic fracturing. To improve the detection of induced seismicity, this research will first employ a template matching approach that has successfully discerned induced from natural earthquakes. This research will also utilize an emerging technology for detecting the repetitive microseismic swarms commonly associated with induced events, without requiring a previously cataloged earthquake as a template. These approaches will be employed on seismic stations throughout the Central and Eastern US and will provide a more uniform detection of induced seismicity. To improve basement depth characterization, this research will integrate recently constructed basement maps, particularly those by state geological surveys and regional compilations. Deep wells will also help characterize geology between injection/hydraulic fracturing target intervals and basement to determine if the mechanical properties of these subsurface rocks may influence the occurrence of induced earthquakes. This project will actively engage state geologic surveys in the Central and Eastern US to accomplish the project goals. In some cases our research will benefit from existing basement, geologic, or seismicity characterizations performed by state geological surveys and other agencies. In other cases we expect to generate and contribute this information to these institutions. Geologic surveys are also key communicators to the general public, so this research will capitalize on the opportunities to integrate new results from this project with existing educational resources that these state surveys already provide. This project will also utilize new undergraduate curricular structures to introduce foundational research concepts early in a student?s college career to engage a larger number of students in research project such as this one. Mentoring will be formalized to establish thematic research teams focused on the project goals. The results will be disseminate with and beyond the academic community, continuing to engage industry and regulators as well as the general public.