Understanding earthquakes caused by wastewater injection

Researchers studied the characteristics of the earthquake that shook Guthrie, Oklahoma, in 2015. Credit: Nicolas Henderson, CC BY 2.0

Since 2009, many residents of the central United States have experienced increased seismic activity. Research indicates that these tremors are linked to the injection of wastewater into deep wells by oil and gas companies. However, the exact dynamics of these earthquakes is still being revealed.

To shed new light, Bennington et al. Investigating the characteristics of the M 4.0 earthquake that shook Guthrie, Oklahoma, in 2015. This earthquake was the largest in a series of earthquakes near Guthrie that resulted from the injection of sewage into the area.

The researchers used seismic data to computationally reflect the exact locations of the slip along the fault during the earthquake. In addition, they compared the slip dynamics of the Guthrie earthquake with those of several other earthquakes of similar size that occurred along active or reactivated faults in North America and East Asia.

They found that the Mw 4.0 Guthrie earthquake had a complex rupture pattern featuring four distinct spots along the fault where slip occurred, similar to the patterns seen for earthquakes along other revitalized faults. In contrast, earthquakes along active faults showed more diffuse slip patterns.

The results indicate that the slip dynamics of the Mw 4.0 Guthrie earthquake resulted from the non-uniform stress and force conditions that existed before the earthquake. The changes in pore pressure caused by the wastewater injection likely enhance these initial conditions. However, it is likely that the fault structure drove the characteristic slip pattern, with pore pressure playing a secondary role.

These findings could help guide further research into reanimated fault dynamics, and could help inform earthquake risk models.

The research has been published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.

Discovery of a new type of earthquake More information: Colin N. Pennington et al, Slip Properties of Induced Earthquakes: Insights from the 2015 M w 4.0 Guthrie, Oklahoma Earthquake, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth (2022). DOI: 10.1029/2021JB023564 Submitted by the American Geophysical Union

This story is republished with permission from Eos, and hosted by the American Geophysical Union. Read the original story here.

Quote: Understanding Wastewater Injection Earthquakes (2022, June 28) Retrieved June 28, 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-06-earthquakes-triggered-wastewater.html

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