Production-induced seismicity indicates a low risk of strong earthquakes in the Groningen gas field.

ABSTRACT: The maximum possible earthquake related to gas production in Western Europe's largest gas field, Groningen, Netherlands, is an urgent practical question. Here we show how to distinguish between induced and triggered tectonic earthquakes. We estimate the maximum possible induced magnitude in the Groningen gas field to be around M_w = 4. We extend the concept of the seismogenic index to gas-production, and calculate the worst-case probability of triggering a larger-magnitude tectonic earthquake in a continuum. The probability of a M_w5.5 earthquake at Groningen is significantly higher than at Pohang Geothermal System (South Korea), where a M_w5.5 earthquake was actually triggered. Due to a long history of production in Groningen, our model estimates that strong

SUBMITTER: Boitz N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10771524 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature