What's behind Oklahoma's surge in earthquakes?

[Shock Top]

[Kung Wu]

But if dey ban ze fracking, how vill dey haf any more children?

[SB Shock]

Per my ChemE father, they used to frack heavy in plains of Colorado and an increase in earthquakes were noted. Don't know how true this is and I haven't looked at it myself.

If you look at a waste water well map and fracking map of Kansas, if it was only fracking or waste water ejection well then you would see other activity throughout the the state. So there seems to be some other ingredient not identified as of yet.

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[Kung Wu]

If you look at a waste water well map and fracking map of Kansas, if it was only fracking or waste water ejection well then you would see other activity throughout the the state. So there seems to be some other ingredient not identified as of yet.

I don't understand what the map is trying to communicate other than where the fracking is occuring (in bright green). But can you overlay that map with type of rock they are fracking, and known fault lines?

[SB Shock]

I don't understand what the map is trying to communicate other than where the fracking is occuring (in bright green). But can you overlay that map with type of rock they are fracking, and known fault lines?

A couple of arguments is fracking or waste water injections are causing the earthquakes. If Fracking was the primary cause of the earthquakes, then you would see other regions having earthquakes (maybe you will eventually, but at this point they are pretty much tied to Harper county). If it was waste water injection wells, as you can see they are all over the state including near old fault lines, so you would think you would see earthquakes more wide spread.

As far as map of known fault lines - I had posted a map in previous post you can go look at. Of course it could be uknown fault lines becoming active because of fracking/waste water or for some other reason.

[1972Shocker]

Just out of curiosity I found that the strongest earthquake in Kansas was a 5.1 centered in Manhattan in 1867.

http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/student/johnson1/presentation.html

[1972Shocker]

A couple of arguments is fracking or waste water injections are causing the earthquakes. If Fracking was the primary cause of the earthquakes, then you would see other regions having earthquakes (maybe you will eventually, but at this point they are pretty much tied to Harper county). If it was waste water injection wells, as you can see they are all over the state including near old fault lines, so you would think you would see earthquakes more wide spread.

As far as map of known fault lines - I had posted a map in previous post you can go look at. Of course it could be uknown fault lines becoming active because of fracking/waste water or for some other reason.

From what I understand the focus seems to be focusing more on the disposal of the saltwater that is a by-product of oil and gas production. Fracking is contributing to this in that the amount of brine or saltwater that is produced from fracked wells is far greater than is produced from traditional drilling. Saltwater disposal wells have been around forever but fracking has greatly increased the volume of saltwater that is being re-injected. The theory is that all that SWD is creating additional pressure or perhaps lubricating faults causing more frequent slips. I'm not sure they really know what happens to that water after being re-injected into the ground.

I'm not sure how much drilling activity in Kansas is contributing to that although there has no doubt been an increase in fracking in Southern Kansas, although we are pikers with oil and gas drilling activity in Kansas compared to Oklahoma and Texas (and now North Dakota). Also, there was a large increase in horizontal drilling over the past couple of years in Kansas (which has now largely run its course). There was something of land rush where the big boys entered the state and threw a few billion dollars at leasing land and drilling horizontal wells before deciding it wasn't economically feasible in Kansas. In a traditional vertical well a frack is sent out horizontally into a zone that might be 50 feet from top to bottom. In a horizontal well they drill down to the target formation then turn the drill string so that it completes a horizontal leg through the formation that may be as much as a mile long. They then do multiple fracks along the length of this horizontal leg. As I said the horizontal drilling in Kansas was hot for a couple of years but has now mostly cooled of and ceased. However, most of the shale oil formations such as the Bakken in North Dakota, the Eagle Ford in Texas and the Woodford Shale in South Central Oklahoma are being developed almost exclusively with horizontal drilling and fracking. I have not heard anything about increased seismic activity in North Dakota where the Bakken is the most mature of the shale plays but perhaps that's because of differences in the underlying geology of the area.

OTOH, oil and gas drilling activity may not have anything to do with the increased seismic activity. That's the big question they are trying to figure out and certainly one worth answering if possible. The coincidence of the seismic activity with increased horizontal drilling, fracking and fluid disposal certainly makes this worth studying. If the reinjection of fracking flowback fluids and saltwater prove to be a factor then you might see the oil and gas industry developing a way to re-cycle these fluids instead of re-injecting them into the ground. Certainly, if they can figure out how to turn a drill strong from vertical to horizontal a mile or so below the surface and then drill a horizontal leg of up to 2 miles long they can figure out how to recycle these fluids or perhaps they will develop a more benign way to reinject the fluids.

The ultimate resolution will no doubt be a transition to solar, wind and perhaps hydro-electric power generation and perhaps hydrogen fuel cells as well for transportation purposes. But this kind of transition, while already in progress to a degree, will take quite some time and will more than likely be somewhat expensive especially considering all the infrastructure that will need to be replaced.

[pinstripers]

Disposal is in massive amounts, but not under pressure, correct? How would that create this problem?

[WuDrWu]

I'm just curious, and for the moment ignoring any science admittedly, but are there people, here or otherwise, that actually believe that we possess machines of the size and force that can move liquid in such force and amounts that, under pressure, actually shift planetary tectonic plates?

[pinstripers]

Of course there are such people.

[Dan]

Not us Doc, these guys...

[1972Shocker]

Disposal is in massive amounts, but not under pressure, correct? How would that create this problem?

My understanding is that it is re-injected under pressure and as the volume has increased the amount of pressure used has been increased. Again whether or not this is causing the problem I don't know.

Most of the wells in Kansas are no more than about a mile deep. The last shaker in Harper was reported to have emanated 3-miles deep. I have no idea if it is possible for the pressure they are adding to have any impact with that differential or if any of the re-injected water actually migrates to the point where theses quakes are emanating from. Apparently, guys a lot smarter than I am don't know those answers either.

[1972Shocker]

I'm just curious, and for the moment ignoring any science admittedly, but are there people, here or otherwise, that actually believe that we possess machines of the size and force that can move liquid in such force and amounts that, under pressure, actually shift planetary tectonic plates?

Interesting question although I don't think anyone is putting forward any such theory connecting plate tectonics to these minor quakes in Kansas. I don't think Kansas has quite migrated to the edge of the Ring of Fire just yet. If we wake up tomorrow and find Wichita is now on the Pacific Coast then maybe that could be considered. Whether a massive nuclear explosion could do the trick I don't know (might have to check with Lex Luthor) but outside of that I doubt we possess any machines that could impact that and even if, theoretically, we did have such machines it's not nice to mess with mother nature.

[The Mad Hatter]

In case anyone is interested in the science on this, the LA Times has a pretty good summary of a recent study by researchers at Cornell and U. of Colorado on Oklahoma wastewater disposal and earthquakes:

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-oklahoma-earthquakes-fracking-science-20140703-story.html

[1972Shocker]

And a related article: http://newsok.com/earthquake-studies...rticle/5340436

and another: http://newsok.com/questions-remain-a...rticle/5335366