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Earthquakes triggered by underground fluid injection modelled for a tectonically active oil field

An analysis of the Val d’Agri oil field in Italy provides insight into how processes associated with wastewater disposal trigger earthquakes — and how such effects can be reduced to maintain the economic viability of mature oil fields.
  1. Mirko van der Baan

    1. Mirko van der Baan is in the Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada.

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Gas and oil extraction generates wealth — it can significantly boost the gross domestic product of a country. But water is also extracted with the hydrocarbons, and is often reinjected into the ground for disposal. Unfortunately, large-scale fluid injection can induce earthquakes1, potentially leading to the termination of extraction before the full economic potential of an oil field has been realized. Writing in Nature, Hager et al.2 describe a multidisciplinary process to manage earthquake hazard in an active oil field, maintaining the economic viability of a field that uses fluid injection for water disposal, while minimizing the likelihood of seismic activity that is sufficiently strong to be felt by humans.

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Nature 595, 655-656 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01997-7

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Competing Interests

The author receives research funding from the hydrocarbon industry.

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