Relating Wastewater Injection and Induced Seismicity in Ohio

Davis, Jonathan

Relating Wastewater Injection and Induced Seismicity in Ohio

Persistent URL

http://hdl.handle.net/10456/46129

Author(s)

Davis, Jonathan

Date Issued

April 2, 2018

Abstract

Hydraulic fracturing is the unconventional process by which natural gas is released from shale bedrock in the subsurface. In this process, hundreds of thousands of barrels of wastewater are produced. To dispose of it, it is injected into the ground at high pressures to essentially seal the fluid between layers of rock. Recently, this process of wastewater injection has been linked to induced seismic activity in the subsurface. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a statistical correlation between wastewater injection and seismic activity. Increased seismic activity can cause damages to surface structures as well as subsurface pipelines. Using data from the ODNR and USGS, this study explores the relationship between the volume of injected fluid per year in Ohio from 2010-2015 and seismic variables such as the number of earthquakes per year, average depth, and average magnitude. The strongest relationship (R2 = 0.608) existed between fluid volume and average magnitude. The second strongest relationship (R2 = 0.159) existed between fluid volume and average depth of earthquakes. Using these correlations, the distribution of injection wells across Ohio and seismic events, it is highly probable that the injection of wastewater has led and will continue to lead to induced seismic activity in Ohio and other parts of the United States.

Major

Environmental Science

Geology

First Reader(s)

Bowden, Richard D.