New research provides better understanding of earthquake risks in the Permian Basin | Jackson School of Geosciences

December 2, 2024

Cover of the special issue of AAPG Bulletin containing seven Permian Basin studies conducted by researchers at the Bureau of Economic Geology. The diagram shows the geological complexity of Paleozoic strata used for wastewater disposal and the relationship to underlying seismic basement in the Central Midland Basin of West Texas. Artwork: Ben Davis.

A new set of published papers provides the most detailed and comprehensive analysis to date of how water injected into the Permian Basin during oil and gas operations changes subsurface pressures and causes earthquakes.

The Permian Basin in West Texas is the nation's most energy-producing region, accounting for more than 40% of the nation's oil production and about 15% of its gas production. However, energy production has caused earthquakes and other challenges in recent years, with oil and gas operators now managing nearly 15 million barrels of produced wastewater daily. This salt water comes to the surface as a bi-product of energy production. Most of it is disposed of by pumping it back underground.

The new work, published by scientists at the University of Texas at Austin, is a synthesis of the geology of the Permian Basin, with a particular focus on the Midland Basin, and its interactions with water injected over time. It provides more than just a detailed explanation of the problem – it includes information that oil and gas operators and regulators can use in the future to reduce earthquakes and associated risks.

“There have been a lot of recent publications about seismic trends in the Permian Basin, but no one has yet taken a step back and considered, ‘How do you break it down into the geological and engineering framework that can really be used?’” said research professor Peter Hennings, principal investigator at the center. Injection and Seismic Research (CISR): “Do you understand what's going on?” “We are working to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of wastewater injection into oil fields in the Permian Basin by providing deep integration of geological data and information to assess trends and impact.”

CISR, a research center in the UT Jackson School of Geosciences' Bureau of Economic Geology, has been investigating the relationship between seismic activity and grouting since 2016. Its science has already helped reduce earthquakes in many parts of the Permian Basin.

Hennings is the editor of the new seven-paper study on the Permian Basin, published in the December issue of the AAPG Bulletin. The papers build on each other to provide a highly integrated view of sources and patterns of injections, subsurface reservoirs, faults, pressures and seismicity. Geological maps, pressure models and data trends published in papers can help inform operators and regulators of areas and conditions that have been problematic in the past and can help mitigate problems in the future.

Research co-author Professor Katie Smee said the CISR team was able to find several new faults potentially causing earthquakes in the Midland Basin by combining 2D and 3D seismic data with information provided by recent earthquakes and horizontal wells drilled throughout the region.

“In some cases, (wells) track structural changes in the subsurface, so the tens of thousands of horizontal wells drilled in the past 10 years in this basin shed extraordinary light on our fault mapping efforts,” she said.

The researchers divided recent seismic activity in the Permian Basin into seven separate induced seismic systems. This is important because each system has its own unique geological and seismic issues, Smay said. For example, in some areas the emphasis is on injection deep into geological formations, which is more likely to cause earthquakes than injection into shallow geological formations. However, simply switching to shallow injection involves other challenges. Increased pressure in shallow injection zones can make drilling more difficult and potentially damage old wellbores, which can cause produced water to mix with groundwater.

Researchers expect production in the Permian Basin to continue at roughly current levels for the foreseeable future, making water disposal a long-term problem. Understanding how much pore space is available in the Permian for wastewater disposal is critically important for sustainable petroleum operations and for protecting the environment, CISR researchers said.

“Pore space for injection has not traditionally been viewed as a resource that has to be managed effectively. It has been thought of as something that has to be raced to fill,” Smay said. “We need to shift our thinking to the same kind of approach that is taken for sustainable production, so that surface area can be maximized.” “Pressure to get rid of them in the future.”

For more information, contact: Anton Caputo, Jackson School of Geosciences, 512-232-9623; Monica Korcha, Jackson School of Geosciences, 512-471-2241; Konstantino Panagopoulos, University of Texas Institute of Geophysics.

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