First research links California quakes to oil operations

[webfact]

First research links California quakes to oil operations
By ELLEN KNICKMEYER

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A 2005 spate of quakes in California's Central Valley almost certainly was triggered by oilfield injection underground, a study published Thursday said in the first such link in California between oil and gas operations and earthquakes.

Researchers at the University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Southern California and two French universities published their findings Thursday in a publication of the American Geophysical Union. The research links a local surge in oil company injection of wastewater underground, peaking in 2005, with an unusual jump in seismic activity in and around the Tejon Oilfield in southern Kern County.

In Oklahoma and some other Midwestern states, the U.S. Geological Survey and others have linked oilfield operations with a dramatic surge in earthquakes. Many of those quakes occur in swarms in places where oil companies pump briny wastewater left over from oil and gas production deep underground.

"It's important to emphasize that definitely California is not Oklahoma," lead author Thomas Goebel at the University of California at Santa Cruz said Thursday. "We don't really expect to see such a drastic increase in earthquake occurrences" in California given different oilfield methods and geology in the two areas.

In Kern County, the shaking topped out on Sept. 22, 2005, with three quakes, the biggest magnitude 4.6, researchers said.

Researchers calculated the odds of that happening naturally, independently of the oilfield operations, at just 3 percent, Goebel said. However, the oilfield operation "may change the pressure on ... faults, and cause some local earthquakes" in California, he said.

Researchers are now studying other areas of the state to see if California's high background level of shakiness is obscuring other seismic activity possibly linked to oilfield activity. California is the country's No. 3 oil-producing state.

The Center for Biological Diversity environmental group, using state figures, estimates that the amount of oilfield wastewater injected underground in California climbed from 350,000 barrels in 1999 to 900,000 barrels in 2014.

California on Dec. 10 commissioned Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to study the overall potential for oilfield-induced quakes in the state, said Don Drysdale, spokesman for the state Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, the main oil regulatory agency. Rules that went into effect last year for some intensive forms of oil production require monitoring for seismic activity.

"In California, of course, we have a lot of natural seismicity here, so it's much more difficult" to establish that an earthquake was caused by oilfield activity than it is in places like Oklahoma, which used to be quiet, said Art McGarr, a seismologist at the U.S. Geological Survey's Earthquake Science Center in Menlo Park, California.

"Nonetheless, I think they made at least a fairly convincing case that these earthquakes were related to fluid injection" by oilfield operators, said McGarr. He called the researchers' analysis "quite careful."


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-02-05

[lovelomsak]

I have believed this for years but no one listens.There are so many differences between water and oil Oil seals itself from absorption into the soil. I always thought the water would be absorbed into the water table and the gap after a period of time would be empty.Allowing movement of subsurface to materials to shift to fill the void. There is a very probably chance that once movement starts a chain reaction . Stress under pressure will find the easiest way to release itself. Faults in the subsurface become the areas to release.

Edited February 5, 2016 by lovelomsak

[Dogbreath]

I wonder which environmental group funded the research. Certainly no chance of bias here./s

[bark]

I have believed this for years but no one listens.There are so many differences between water and oil Oil seals itself from absorption into the soil. I always thought the water would be absorbed into the water table and the gap after a period of time would be empty.Allowing movement of subsurface to materials to shift to fill the void. There is a very probably chance that once movement starts a chain reaction . Stress under pressure will find the easiest way to release itself. Faults in the subsurface become the areas to release.

No one listens to you ? Who are you, that they should listen ?

[SOTIRIOS]

......'fracking' is the term.....

...and they have been in constant denial.....

...now they omit calling it what it is.....

...deceitful....

[elgordo38]

I wonder which environmental group funded the research. Certainly no chance of bias here./s

Its the same old game profit at any price. People vote no they do not want fracking and the government does it anyways. This took place I think in Texas Google would have the answers. People its time to realize you have NO rights left. Its like COMMUNISM you vote and the government does what it wants anyways for profit people profit not for the common good.

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

when your tap water catched fire that should really be enough to stop the greedy frackers.

[stevenl]

I wonder which environmental group funded the research. Certainly no chance of bias here./s

No bias necessary, many countries worldwide are having similar quake issues after oil/gas drilling.

[nauseus]

I have believed this for years but no one listens.There are so many differences between water and oil Oil seals itself from absorption into the soil. I always thought the water would be absorbed into the water table and the gap after a period of time would be empty.Allowing movement of subsurface to materials to shift to fill the void. There is a very probably chance that once movement starts a chain reaction . Stress under pressure will find the easiest way to release itself. Faults in the subsurface become the areas to release.

Sorry love, soil has nothing to do with this and the rest of your post shows zero knowledge of geology or hydrology. You won't go through to the next round!

[sanukjim]

I wonder which environmental group funded the research. Certainly no chance of bias here./s

I guess The San Andrea's Fault was caused by oil drilling about 500 million years ago and the tectonic plate movements have no bearing? OK lets rewrite the physics and geology books shall we?

[impulse]

What great news for the oil and gas industry!

Catastrophic earthquakes occur when a lot of energy builds up over time and is released all at once.

It appears that injecting water (and/or other oilfield operations) causes the energy to be dissipated in a bunch of tiny, non destructive seismic events instead of building up to a catastrophic level.

For all we know, that's the reason the Big One hasn't hit LA, and there hasn't been a repeat of the New Madrid quake of the 1800's. All that energy is being released in seismic events that people can't even feel.

Someone PM me if they correlate destructive earthquakes to oil and gas operations. But I doubt it will happen.

Edited February 5, 2016 by impulse

[farcanell]

I did read a proposal, several years ago, suggesting that drilling directly into the fault zone ( vs a hydrocarbon zone) and injecting fluids, might lubricate the fault, allowing more frequent earthquakes, at a decreased intensity, as a measure of reducing the likelihood of a big quake and its follow on effect ( damage to infrastucture/ loss of life).... Don't know if there was any follow up, but I doubt it.

Fortunately for oil working professionals, most people are unaware of the effects of removing hydrocarbons from a pay zone, or the practice of reinjection, which is completely different to fracing, or indeed, fracing itself.... Not that this does us any bloody good with the oil prices as low as they are.

Edited February 5, 2016 by farcanell

[Andaman Al]

Another excuse along with 'national parks' 'protected land' etc etc that allows the US NOT to produce from it's vast reserves. They then use global oil and will continue to do so till it runs out then they will start to tap into their own 100 year + supply and not allow anyone else to have any! Remember where you heard it first

[lovelomsak]

I have believed this for years but no one listens.There are so many differences between water and oil Oil seals itself from absorption into the soil. I always thought the water would be absorbed into the water table and the gap after a period of time would be empty.Allowing movement of subsurface to materials to shift to fill the void. There is a very probably chance that once movement starts a chain reaction . Stress under pressure will find the easiest way to release itself. Faults in the subsurface become the areas to release.

Sorry love, soil has nothing to do with this and the rest of your post shows zero knowledge of geology or hydrology. You won't go through to the next round!

Round 2

The water used to replace the oil willnot stay in the void.It will travel to find its own level consistent with water in the area. Leaving a major big hole inside the earth, This over a period of time earth,rock sand what have you that is surrounding the void fill the void. This causes stress,and pressure.from the movement.The stress or pressure travels looking for a place to release. It finds a fault and an earth quake takes place.In the case of small quakes right near the drill site it is possible the drilling broke through a weak plate of soil and after everything is done it simple slips to fill the gap.

Its like digging away at the base of a clay hill. When it gives way from the digging the earth that comes down can be quite far away from where the digging was. Why is this you ask . Well

the clay is layered in sheets that and the sheets extend up to the surface at different angles.. So slight movement at the base of a hill can bring down all the earth perhaps half way up the hill. Hard to explain without pictures.

But yes earth or soil as you put it has a lot to do with this.

[farcanell]

I have believed this for years but no one listens.There are so many differences between water and oil Oil seals itself from absorption into the soil. I always thought the water would be absorbed into the water table and the gap after a period of time would be empty.Allowing movement of subsurface to materials to shift to fill the void. There is a very probably chance that once movement starts a chain reaction . Stress under pressure will find the easiest way to release itself. Faults in the subsurface become the areas to release.

Sorry love, soil has nothing to do with this and the rest of your post shows zero knowledge of geology or hydrology. You won't go through to the next round!

Round 2

The water used to replace the oil willnot stay in the void.It will travel to find its own level consistent with water in the area. Leaving a major big hole inside the earth, This over a period of time earth,rock sand what have you that is surrounding the void fill the void. This causes stress,and pressure.from the movement.The stress or pressure travels looking for a place to release. It finds a fault and an earth quake takes place.In the case of small quakes right near the drill site it is possible the drilling broke through a weak plate of soil and after everything is done it simple slips to fill the gap.

Its like digging away at the base of a clay hill. When it gives way from the digging the earth that comes down can be quite far away from where the digging was. Why is this you ask . Well

the clay is layered in sheets that and the sheets extend up to the surface at different angles.. So slight movement at the base of a hill can bring down all the earth perhaps half way up the hill. Hard to explain without pictures.

But yes earth or soil as you put it has a lot to do with this.

Ah... I would appreciate the pictures... Before my next well control exam... As what you describe only happens in a salt dome... Immediately, and quite dramatically

Fluids in a zone, are there because they are trapped in a zone.... Replacing oil with water, doesn't stop it from being trapped... And, as oil is lighter than oil, it's natural "level" that it would seek, is on top of the water

It's a misconception that the oil is under ground in a big cavern... It is trapped within a porous formation, and all sorts of measures and tests are done, to ensure different zones don't communicate with each other

Any dangerous over pressures caused by reinjection, would be noticed at the well head... Which is the easiest path for anything to escape, and it would be dealt with there

[nauseus]

Nuther one! Look it's all happening a LOT deeper than SOIL OK???

[Dogbreath]

I wonder which environmental group funded the research. Certainly no chance of bias here./s

Its the same old game profit at any price. People vote no they do not want fracking and the government does it anyways. This took place I think in Texas Google would have the answers. People its time to realize you have NO rights left. Its like COMMUNISM you vote and the government does what it wants anyways for profit people profit not for the common good.

Nice avatar. Is that you or are you channeling Bernie Sanders? Your assertion, like that of most Progressives lacks in veracity. There are a number of state and county governments that have banned fracking. Check your facts. Profit at any price is an oxymoronic statement that reveals your lack of business acumen. Meanwhile, market forces have dropped your gas and fuel prices so low that they have suspended fracking operations in many locales since the cost of production is in excess of the market price, but they are still drilling new wells to frack when the price of oil and gas rises again. It's supply and demand. Thanks to fracking, the Middle Eastern dictatorships are starting to run low on money to finance jihad. Another bonus as far as I'm concerned. And all this, near independence from OPEC for oil, Money squeeze on OPEC members, and low prices for fuel and heating gas in America. All in spite of Obama's efforts to torpedo new exploration for and transportation of oil and gas. That's because the free market works when it is allowed to without a bunch of DC pinheads interfering 24/7/365.

[impulse]

But yes earth or soil as you put it has a lot to do with this.

This is just too painful to watch. You're actually on a reasonable path, just not understanding why you're there...

Let me give you a little ammo for your battle of wits.

Google "Long Beach Subsidence" and follow the links. Then follow the links in the links. It's fascinating to me. But then, I'm a petroleum engineer (spelled N-E-R-D) and actually worked the Wilmington Field, but long after the damage was done. We're smarter now. Still greedy, but smarter.

BTW, most subsidence problems nowadays are the result of groundwater extraction, not oil. In the oilfield, (in civilized places, anyway) we generally replace the volume we extract because we know about subsidence now. And because, not coincidentally, maintaining the reservoir pressure puts more money in the till.

Edit: Don't ask me to take your side in an argument with any drillers. They never lose an argument, no matter how wrong they are.

Edited February 8, 2016 by impulse