TY - JOUR
T1 - Surface uplift and time-dependent seismic hazard due to fluid injection in eastern Texas
AU - Shirzaei, Manoochehr
AU - Ellsworth, William L.
AU - Tiampo, Kristy F.
AU - González, Pablo J.
AU - Manga, Michael
N1 - Funding Information:
RADARSAT-2 images were acquired under SOAR-E (Science and Operational Applications Research-Education) project 5226 of the Canadian Space Agency (www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/). ALOS data were obtained through Alaska Satellite Facilities (www.asf.Alaska.edu/). M.S.'s contribution was supported by U.S. Geological Survey grant G13AP00040. K.F.T. was supported by a Discovery Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. W.L.E. was supported by the Stanford Center for Induced and Triggered Seismicity. M.M. was supported by U.S. SF grant EAR-1344424. P.J.G. was supported by the UK Natural Environment Research Council projects COMET and NE/K011006/1. A copy of the interferograms, LOS deformation maps, model results, and codes for InSAR processing, strain inversion, and pore pressure modeling can be obtained through the website of the Radar Remote Sensing and Tectonic Geodesy Lab (ratlab.asu.edu) or by correspondence with M.S.
PY - 2016/9/23
Y1 - 2016/9/23
N2 - Observations that unequivocally link seismicity and wastewater injection are scarce. Here we show that wastewater injection in eastern Texas causes uplift, detectable in radar interferometric data up to >8 kilometers from the wells. Using measurements of uplift, reported injection data, and a poroelastic model, we computed the crustal strain and pore pressure.We infer that an increase of >1 megapascal in pore pressure in rocks with low compressibility triggers earthquakes, including the 4.8moment magnitude event that occurred on 17 May 2012, the largest earthquake recorded in eastern Texas. Seismic activity increased even while injection rates declined, owing to diffusion of pore pressure from earlier periods with higher injection ates. Induced seismicity potential is suppressed where tight confining formations prevent pore pressure from propagating into crystalline basement rocks.
AB - Observations that unequivocally link seismicity and wastewater injection are scarce. Here we show that wastewater injection in eastern Texas causes uplift, detectable in radar interferometric data up to >8 kilometers from the wells. Using measurements of uplift, reported injection data, and a poroelastic model, we computed the crustal strain and pore pressure.We infer that an increase of >1 megapascal in pore pressure in rocks with low compressibility triggers earthquakes, including the 4.8moment magnitude event that occurred on 17 May 2012, the largest earthquake recorded in eastern Texas. Seismic activity increased even while injection rates declined, owing to diffusion of pore pressure from earlier periods with higher injection ates. Induced seismicity potential is suppressed where tight confining formations prevent pore pressure from propagating into crystalline basement rocks.
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U2 - 10.1126/science.aag0262
DO - 10.1126/science.aag0262
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84989853121
VL - 353
SP - 1416
EP - 1419
JO - Science
JF - Science
SN - 0036-8075
IS - 6306
ER -