Basin-scale multi-decadal analysis of hydraulic fracturing and seismicity in western Canada shows non-recurrence of induced runaway fault rupture.

ABSTRACT: Hydraulic fracturing (HF) is a reservoir stimulation technique that has been widely deployed in recent years to increase the productivity of light oil and/or natural gas from organic-rich, low-permeability formations. Although the process of fracturing a rock typically results in microseismic events of magnitude < 0, many cases of felt seismic events (typically magnitude 3.0 or larger) have also been reported. In the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB), where more than 40,000 wells have been drilled and hydraulically fractured in the past two decades, the occurrence of HF-induced events has surged in some areas. Yet, many other areas of the WCSB have not experienced a significant increase in induced seismicity, despite a sharp increase in both the number of HF wells and the volumes of

SUBMITTER: Rodriguez-Pradilla G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9402563 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature