After a series of earthquakes recently erupted near Oklahoma’s Arbuckle formation, state regulators have called for oil and gas operators to reduce well wastewater, affecting 23 disposal wells. A 4.0 magnitude and a few smaller magnitude earthquakes hit Carney, OK, earlier this month. The tremors led the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s (OCC) Oil and Gas Conservation…
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Most Permian Delaware Earthquakes Said Tied to Oil, Gas Activity
Increasingly frequent earthquakes in the Permian Basin’s Delaware sub-basin are mostly linked to oil and gas activity, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin (UT). Among the most prolific oil and gas producing regions in the Lower 48, the Delaware’s surface area covers about 6.4 million acres…

Oklahoma Orders Oil, Natural Gas Wastewater Disposal Wells Shut After Tremor
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) on Tuesday ordered oil and natural gas wastewater disposal wells operating within six miles of a 4.5 magnitude earthquake that rocked central Oklahoma on Monday to be shut down indefinitely. The OCC’s Oil and Gas Conservation Division issued the formal directive as part of its continuing response to the quake…

Lower 48 E&Ps Treating Less Water as Disposal Permits Drying Up, Quake Activity Rising
Exploration and production (E&P) companies, particularly in West Texas, appear to be in a bit of a conundrum. Amid an increase in seismic activity related to Lower 48 development, producers stand to lose nearly half of their disposal capacity in key basins at the same time the amount of water they are leaving untreated is…

Some Permian Disposal Well Permits Suspended by Texas RRC Following Quakes
The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) has suspended all disposal well permits to inject oil and gas waste into deep strata within a portion of the Permian Basin following a series of earthquakes. The action, taken earlier in December and in effect as of Friday (Dec. 31), applies to 33 deep disposal wells within the…

Lower 48 Oil and Gas Producers Must Treat, Recycle More Produced Water to Reduce Earthquakes, Study Finds
Earthquakes in the Lower 48 oil and natural gas patch have been steadily increasing over the last four years and will continue to do so if the industry doesn’t adjust its methods for disposing of produced water, according to new analysis by Rystad Energy. The Oslo-based consultancy examined seismic activity in Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma,…
Alberta Tightens Quake Monitoring, Response Protocols for Oil, Gas Operators
Confirmation that horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) caused three central Alberta earthquakes since 2014 has resulted in tightened safety controls on industry operations.
Alberta Tightens Quake Monitoring, Response Protocols for Oil, Gas Operators
Confirmation that horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) caused three central Alberta earthquakes since 2014 has resulted in tightened safety controls on industry operations.

Fluid Density Differences Said to Cause Anadarko Basin Tremors Long After Oil, Gas Drilling Completed
A new geological study that focused on areas of the Anadarko Basin in Oklahoma shows that differences in density between underground water and wastewater from oil and gas drilling injected into the ground corresponds with continued earthquakes long after the drilling stops.
Some Fracking Limited Outside Alberta Capital After Winter Earthquakes
A pair of central Alberta winter earthquakes has triggered a ban against hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in deep oil and natural gas wells around a power dam and reservoir 144 miles southwest of the provincial capital in Edmonton.