Fault reactivation and earthquakes with magnitudes of up to Mw4.7 induced by shale-gas hydraulic fracturing in Sichuan Basin, China

Fault reactivation and earthquakes with magnitudes of up to Mw4.7 induced by shale-gas hydraulic fracturing in Sichuan Basin, China

Abstract This paper presents a timely and detailed study of significant injection-induced seismicity recently observed in the Sichuan Basin, China, where shale-gas hydraulic fracturing has been initiated and the aggressive production of shale gas is planned for the coming years. Multiple lines of ev...

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Autores principales: Xinglin Lei, Dongjian Huang, Jinrong Su, Guomao Jiang, Xiaolong Wang, Hui Wang, Xin Guo, Hong Fu
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Nature Portfolio 2017
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Science
Q
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/ceefa9fd665a485db481272b17be37c5
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spelling oai:doaj.org-article:ceefa9fd665a485db481272b17be37c52021-12-02T15:05:29ZFault reactivation and earthquakes with magnitudes of up to Mw4.7 induced by shale-gas hydraulic fracturing in Sichuan Basin, China10.1038/s41598-017-08557-y2045-2322https://doaj.org/article/ceefa9fd665a485db481272b17be37c52017-08-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-08557-yhttps://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract This paper presents a timely and detailed study of significant injection-induced seismicity recently observed in the Sichuan Basin, China, where shale-gas hydraulic fracturing has been initiated and the aggressive production of shale gas is planned for the coming years. Multiple lines of evidence, including an epidemic-type aftershock sequence model, relocated hypocenters, the mechanisms of 13 large events (M W  > 3.5), and numerically calculated Coulomb failure stress results, convincingly suggest that a series of earthquakes with moment magnitudes up to M W 4.7 has been induced by “short-term” (several months at a single well pad) injections for hydraulic fracturing at depths of 2.3 to 3 km. This, in turn, supports the hypothesis that they represent examples of injection-induced fault reactivation. The geologic reasons why earthquake magnitudes associated with hydraulic fracturing operations are so high in this area are discussed. Because hydraulic fracturing operations are on the rise in the Sichuan Basin, it would be beneficial for the geoscience, gas operator, regulator, and academic communities to work collectively to elucidate the local factors governing the high level of injection-induced seismicity, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that shale gas fracking can be carried out effectively and safely.Xinglin LeiDongjian HuangJinrong SuGuomao JiangXiaolong WangHui WangXin GuoHong FuNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 1-12 (2017)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic Medicine
R
Science
Q
spellingShingle Medicine
R
Science
Q
Xinglin Lei
Dongjian Huang
Jinrong Su
Guomao Jiang
Xiaolong Wang
Hui Wang
Xin Guo
Hong Fu
Fault reactivation and earthquakes with magnitudes of up to Mw4.7 induced by shale-gas hydraulic fracturing in Sichuan Basin, China
description Abstract This paper presents a timely and detailed study of significant injection-induced seismicity recently observed in the Sichuan Basin, China, where shale-gas hydraulic fracturing has been initiated and the aggressive production of shale gas is planned for the coming years. Multiple lines of evidence, including an epidemic-type aftershock sequence model, relocated hypocenters, the mechanisms of 13 large events (M W  > 3.5), and numerically calculated Coulomb failure stress results, convincingly suggest that a series of earthquakes with moment magnitudes up to M W 4.7 has been induced by “short-term” (several months at a single well pad) injections for hydraulic fracturing at depths of 2.3 to 3 km. This, in turn, supports the hypothesis that they represent examples of injection-induced fault reactivation. The geologic reasons why earthquake magnitudes associated with hydraulic fracturing operations are so high in this area are discussed. Because hydraulic fracturing operations are on the rise in the Sichuan Basin, it would be beneficial for the geoscience, gas operator, regulator, and academic communities to work collectively to elucidate the local factors governing the high level of injection-induced seismicity, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that shale gas fracking can be carried out effectively and safely.
format article
author Xinglin Lei
Dongjian Huang
Jinrong Su
Guomao Jiang
Xiaolong Wang
Hui Wang
Xin Guo
Hong Fu
author_facet Xinglin Lei
Dongjian Huang
Jinrong Su
Guomao Jiang
Xiaolong Wang
Hui Wang
Xin Guo
Hong Fu
author_sort Xinglin Lei
title Fault reactivation and earthquakes with magnitudes of up to Mw4.7 induced by shale-gas hydraulic fracturing in Sichuan Basin, China
title_short Fault reactivation and earthquakes with magnitudes of up to Mw4.7 induced by shale-gas hydraulic fracturing in Sichuan Basin, China
title_full Fault reactivation and earthquakes with magnitudes of up to Mw4.7 induced by shale-gas hydraulic fracturing in Sichuan Basin, China
title_fullStr Fault reactivation and earthquakes with magnitudes of up to Mw4.7 induced by shale-gas hydraulic fracturing in Sichuan Basin, China
title_full_unstemmed Fault reactivation and earthquakes with magnitudes of up to Mw4.7 induced by shale-gas hydraulic fracturing in Sichuan Basin, China
title_sort fault reactivation and earthquakes with magnitudes of up to mw4.7 induced by shale-gas hydraulic fracturing in sichuan basin, china
publisher Nature Portfolio
publishDate 2017
url https://doaj.org/article/ceefa9fd665a485db481272b17be37c5
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