Mitigating Induced Seismicity in the Utica Shale Formation of Northeastern Pennsylvania

Abstract

The proposed study focuses on seismicity in western Pennsylvania related to development of the Utica Shale and seeks to describe the relationship between geological factors and hydrocarbon development parameters that may correlate to seismic rupture. Current seismic station density allows for detection, but not accurate location of low-magnitude seismic events. The proposed study will focus on recording, processing and analyzing high-precision local earthquake data obtained from a proposed network of temporary seismic stations to define existing and developing trends of seismic hypocenter locations, frequency, magnitude and duration with the ultimate goal of establishing a predictive model for induced seismicity. An accurate three-dimensional location catalog of sub-regional seismicity would allow correlation of observed seismicity to regional geodynamic stress fields and known fault systems. The constructed model will include regional geodynamic and hydrogeological parameters to various scenarios of hydrocarbon development and their impact on the level of local seismic hazard. Finally, the study will consider paths of mitigation of seismic hazards for any potentially sensitive areas, developing guidelines to prevent a release of seismic stress above safe levels.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90351 © 2019 AAPG Foundation 2019 Grants-in-Aid Projects