Monitoring for Potentially Induced Seismicity in the St. Lawrence Valley of Quebec, Canada, during the Hydraulic Fracturing Operations of 2006–2010

Abstract

Research Article| October 31, 2018 Monitoring for Potentially Induced Seismicity in the St. Lawrence Valley of Quebec, Canada, during the Hydraulic Fracturing Operations of 2006–2010 Maurice Lamontagne Maurice Lamontagne aGeological Survey of Canada, 601 Booth Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0E8, maurice.lamontagne@canada.ca Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Maurice Lamontagne aGeological Survey of Canada, 601 Booth Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0E8, maurice.lamontagne@canada.ca Publisher: Seismological Society of America First Online: 31 Oct 2018 Online Issn: 1938-2057 Print Issn: 0895-0695 © Seismological Society of America Seismological Research Letters (2019) 90 (1): 429–445. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220180041 Article history First Online: 31 Oct 2018 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Maurice Lamontagne; Monitoring for Potentially Induced Seismicity in the St. Lawrence Valley of Quebec, Canada, during the Hydraulic Fracturing Operations of 2006–2010. Seismological Research Letters 2018;; 90 (1): 429–445. doi: https://doi.org/10.1785/0220180041 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietySeismological Research Letters Search Advanced Search ABSTRACT This article examines a possible link between hydraulic fracturing (HF) operations and the earthquakes recorded in the St. Lawrence Valley (SLV) between Montreal and Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Between November 2006 and July 2010, HF operations were conducted in 18 different wells to evaluate the shale gas potential of the local Utica shales.For earthquakes between years 2006 and 2012, we considered the distances between the HF wells and the epicenters and the time differences between the end of HF activity and the origin times of earthquakes. In addition, Rayleigh (Rg) phases were interpreted as an indicator of a shallow source. It was found that only three shallow focus earthquakes were within 15 km of HF wells. Shallow tectonic earthquakes are rare occurrences in the SLV (5% of cases), but a shallow source does not necessarily indicates that the event was induced by HF operations. The time interval between the end of HF operations and the occurrence of these earthquakes varied between 298 (0.81 yr) and 1348 days (3.75 yrs), making a connection very unlikely, especially when the small cumulative volume of fluids that was injected is considered. In conclusion, the HF operations in the SLV were not connected to any detectable induced seismicity (IS). You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.