Induced Seismicity in Oklahoma Affects Shallow Groundwater

Chi‐Yuen Wang; Michael Manga; Manoochehr Shirzaei; Matthew Weingarten; Lee‐Ping Wang

doi:10.1785/0220170017

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Research Article| May 03, 2017

Induced Seismicity in Oklahoma Affects Shallow Groundwater

Chi‐Yuen Wang;

Chi‐Yuen Wang

^a

Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California Berkeley, McCone Hall, Berkeley, California 94720‐4767 U.S.A., [email protected]

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Michael Manga;

Michael Manga

^a

Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California Berkeley, McCone Hall, Berkeley, California 94720‐4767 U.S.A., [email protected]

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Manoochehr Shirzaei;

Manoochehr Shirzaei

^b

School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281 U.S.A.

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Matthew Weingarten;

Matthew Weingarten

^c

Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, 397 Panama Street, Stanford, California 94305 U.S.A.

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Lee‐Ping Wang

^d

Department of Chemistry, University of California Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616 U.S.A.

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Author and Article Information

Chi‐Yuen Wang

^a

Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California Berkeley, McCone Hall, Berkeley, California 94720‐4767 U.S.A., [email protected]

Michael Manga

^a

Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California Berkeley, McCone Hall, Berkeley, California 94720‐4767 U.S.A., [email protected]

Manoochehr Shirzaei

^b

School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281 U.S.A.

Matthew Weingarten

^c

Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, 397 Panama Street, Stanford, California 94305 U.S.A.

Lee‐Ping Wang

^d

Department of Chemistry, University of California Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616 U.S.A.

Publisher: Seismological Society of America

First Online: 15 Sep 2017

Online ISSN: 1938-2057

Print ISSN: 0895-0695

Seismological Research Letters (2017) 88 (4): 956–962.

https://doi.org/10.1785/0220170017

ABSTRACT

Documentation and analysis of groundwater responses to induced earthquakes are important to better understand their influence on shallow groundwater systems and hydrogeological properties and processes. Here we show that induced seismicity in Oklahoma can cause changes of groundwater level over distances $> 150 km$ from the epicenter. We test existing models for the cause of the observed responses and find that the model most consistent with observations is enhanced crustal permeability produced by seismic waves, changing aquifer recharge. Simulation suggests that the sources of this recharge are close to the responding wells and have lateral dimensions of $\sim 100 m$ ⁠. Continuous monitoring of pressure and temperature in wells, installing clustered wells to monitor multiple water levels near injection sites, and isotopic and chemical analysis of groundwater near injection sites are required to better understand and quantify the recharging sources.