Hydraulic Fracturing and Seismicity in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin

Research Article| March 30, 2016 Hydraulic Fracturing and Seismicity in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin Gail M. Atkinson; Gail M. Atkinson aDepartment of Earth Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7gmatkinson@aol.com Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David W. Eaton; David W. Eaton bDepartment of Geoscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada 2N 1N4eatond@ucalgary.ca Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Hadi Ghofrani; Hadi Ghofrani aDepartment of Earth Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7gmatkinson@aol.com Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Dan Walker; Dan Walker cBritish Columbia Oil and Gas Commission, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 8W 9N3 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Burns Cheadle; Burns Cheadle aDepartment of Earth Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7gmatkinson@aol.com Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Ryan Schultz; Ryan Schultz dAlberta Geological Survey, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6B 2X3 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Robert Shcherbakov; Robert Shcherbakov aDepartment of Earth Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7gmatkinson@aol.com Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Kristy Tiampo; Kristy Tiampo aDepartment of Earth Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7gmatkinson@aol.com Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jeff Gu; Jeff Gu eDepartment of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2R3 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Rebecca M. Harrington; Rebecca M. Harrington fDepartment of Earth and Planetary Science, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 0G4 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Yajing Liu; Yajing Liu fDepartment of Earth and Planetary Science, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 0G4 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Mirko van der Baan; Mirko van der Baan eDepartment of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2R3 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Honn Kao Honn Kao gNatural Resources Canada, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada V8L 6A8 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Gail M. Atkinson aDepartment of Earth Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7gmatkinson@aol.com David W. Eaton bDepartment of Geoscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada 2N 1N4eatond@ucalgary.ca Hadi Ghofrani aDepartment of Earth Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7gmatkinson@aol.com Dan Walker cBritish Columbia Oil and Gas Commission, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 8W 9N3 Burns Cheadle aDepartment of Earth Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7gmatkinson@aol.com Ryan Schultz dAlberta Geological Survey, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6B 2X3 Robert Shcherbakov aDepartment of Earth Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7gmatkinson@aol.com Kristy Tiampo aDepartment of Earth Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7gmatkinson@aol.com Jeff Gu eDepartment of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2R3 Rebecca M. Harrington fDepartment of Earth and Planetary Science, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 0G4 Yajing Liu fDepartment of Earth and Planetary Science, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 0G4 Mirko van der Baan eDepartment of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2R3 Honn Kao gNatural Resources Canada, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada V8L 6A8 Publisher: Seismological Society of America First Online: 14 Jul 2017 Online Issn: 1938-2057 Print Issn: 0895-0695 © 2016 by the Seismological Society of America Seismological Research Letters (2016) 87 (3): 631–647. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220150263 Article history First Online: 14 Jul 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Gail M. Atkinson, David W. Eaton, Hadi Ghofrani, Dan Walker, Burns Cheadle, Ryan Schultz, Robert Shcherbakov, Kristy Tiampo, Jeff Gu, Rebecca M. Harrington, Yajing Liu, Mirko van der Baan, Honn Kao; Hydraulic Fracturing and Seismicity in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. Seismological Research Letters 2016;; 87 (3): 631–647. doi: https://doi.org/10.1785/0220150263 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietySeismological Research Letters Search Advanced Search ABSTRACT The development of most unconventional oil and gas resources relies upon subsurface injection of very large volumes of fluids, which can induce earthquakes by activating slip on a nearby fault. During the last 5 years, accelerated oilfield fluid injection has led to a sharp increase in the rate of earthquakes in some parts of North America. In the central United States, most induced seismicity is linked to deep disposal of coproduced wastewater from oil and gas extraction. In contrast, in western Canada most recent cases of induced seismicity are highly correlated in time and space with hydraulic fracturing, during which fluids are injected under high pressure during well completion to induce localized fracturing of rock. Furthermore, it appears that the maximum‐observed magnitude of events associated with hydraulic fracturing may exceed the predictions of an often‐cited relationship between the volume of injected fluid and the maximum expected magnitude. These findings have far‐reaching implications for assessment of induced‐seismicity hazards. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.