Challenges for Induced Seismicity: Strategies for Monitoring Seismic Activity

Abstract

In the past several years, injection induced seismicity has become an important issue. Though the phenomenon has been observed and documented for at least half a century, recent media attention and increased seismic activity in many regions have fueled public awareness and trepidation. As the public outcry builds, it is inevitable that stricter regulations governing the monitoring and protocols associated with induced seismicity will be introduced. Indeed more stringent regulations have already been established in Ohio within the past year. However what exact form these regulations will take remains unclear. It goes without saying that magnitude will play a central role in these policies, but where, if at all, will properties such as location, depth, b-value, and seismicity rate feature. All of these properties have some measure of subjectivity associated with data quality, processing methodology, and a priori knowledge that will inexorably be passed on to the regulations themselves. We address the challenges associated with implementing and meeting regulations that are effective and fair to both the public and the industry. How can we ensure that a seismic monitoring network meets the criteria set out by the regulations? How do we ensure that our attenuation model is giving an unbiased magnitude estimate? How do we incorporate the effect of complex local geology into event location algorithms? We discuss methods and monitoring strategies for industry to overcome these obstacles and to meet new regulations with minimal cost and effort. Finally, we investigate strategies to reduce the subjectivity of the regulations associated with the inherent uncertainty in earthquake properties.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90216 ©2015 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, Denver, CO., May 31 - June 3, 2015