induced seismicity

The Texas Railroad Commission has tightened its guidelines on the permitting of disposal wells in the Permian Basin.

A magnitude 5.0 quake was followed by a magnitude 4.7 temblor, both in Culberson County in West Texas, an area that is already being watched by the Texas Railroad Commission, the state's oil regulator, because of a jump in seismic activities.

At SPE’s Permian Basin Energy Conference, operators shared behind-the-scenes details on innovations such as drilling horseshoe wells and trimulfrac completions along with in-basin challenges such as handling produced water.

A series of temblors in the region has been linked to oil and gas extraction processes.

A seismic prediction model is developed and presented in a case study to simulate the magnitude and timing of triggered seismic events with the intent to manage and mitigate environmental impacts resulting from induced seismicity during subsurface development activities.

The Permian’s produced-water challenge presents an opportunity for innovation to pave the way toward a more sustainable future for the industry.

Permian Basin oil wells produce a lot of water. Much of it is injected into disposal zones above and below the basin’s primary oil- and gas-producing zone. When water is injected into these disposal zones, the pressure increases, mainly because no fluid is concurrently removed. Is this increase in pressure a concern? The data would suggest yes.

The 5.2-magnitude earthquake is tied for the fourth strongest in Texas history. It occurred in an area where oilfield companies have long been injecting waste water.

Regulators told some injection well operators close to the epicenter of a magnitude 4.0 earthquake that they will have to shut down their operations indefinitely.

New research reveals waste water injected underground by fossil fuel operators caused a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in November 2022 in the Peace River area of Alberta’s oil sands region.