Abstract
The state of Oklahoma has experienced a dramatic increase in the amount of measurable seismic activities over the last decade. The needs of a petroleum-driven world have led to increased production utilizing various technologies to reach energy reserves locked in tight formations and stimulate end-of-life wells, creating significant amounts of undesirable wastewater ultimately injected underground for disposal. Using Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) data, we performed a differential Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) technique referred to as the Small BAseline Subset (SBAS)-based analysis over east central Oklahoma to identify ground surface deformation with respect to the location of wastewater injection wells for the period of December 2006 to January 2011. Our results show broad spatial correlation between SBAS-derived deformation and the locations of injection wells. We also observed significant uplift over Cushing, Oklahoma, the largest above ground crude oil storage facility in the world, and a key hub of the Keystone Pipeline. This finding has significant implications for the oil and gas industry due to its close proximity to the zones of increased seismicity attributed to wastewater injection. Results southeast of Drumright, Oklahoma represent an excellent example of the potential of InSAR, identifying a fault bordered by an area of subduction to the west and uplift to the east. This differentiated movement along the fault may help explain the lack of any seismic activity in this area, despite the large number of wells and high volume of fluid injected.
Highlights
Occurrences of earthquakes in Oklahoma were rare prior to 2008 [1]
Results of the Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) Small BAseline Subset (SBAS) analysis were first examined from a regional perspective
We focused primarily on the location of injection wells that were active at the conclusion of the analysis timeframe (2006–2011), in order to begin to address the potential for anthropogenic contributions to the increased level of seismicity in the area
Summary
Occurrences of earthquakes in Oklahoma were rare prior to 2008 [1]. Between 1950 and 2005, approximately 1.5 annual Mw > 3.0 earthquakes were recorded [2], since 2011, four earthquakes greater than Magnitude 5 have occurred. The amount of recorded Mw greater than 3.0 earthquakes between 1980 and 1989 numbered 7, in 2015 that number rose to 903 [6,7]. The increase in seismicity in the state of Oklahoma has led to many questions as to why the sudden surge in frequency and intensity of these events occurring over a relatively small number of years. Out of the 111 years of oil and gas production in Oklahoma [8], it is only the last ten years that have seen the dramatic uptick in measurable seismic events
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