eprintid: 2001 rev_number: 13 eprint_status: archive userid: 9 dir: disk0/00/00/20/01 datestamp: 2017-09-19 07:27:46 lastmod: 2019-02-06 10:56:06 status_changed: 2017-09-19 07:27:46 type: article metadata_visibility: show creators_name: Walsh, F. R. creators_name: Zoback, Mark corp_creators: Department of Geophysics, Stanford University corp_creators: Department of Geophysics, Stanford University title: Oklahoma's recent earthquakes and saltwater disposal subjects: MP2 subjects: RU6 subjects: SF subjects: SHC subjects: SHU divisions: IP14 full_text_status: none keywords: triggered earthquakes, saltwater disposal, hydraulic fracturing abstract: Over the past 5 years, parts of Oklahoma have experienced marked increases in the number of small- to moderate-sized earthquakes. In three study areas that encompass the vast majority of the recent seismicity, we show that the increases in seismicity follow 5- to 10-fold increases in the rates of saltwater disposal. Adjacent areas where there has been relatively little saltwater disposal have had comparatively few recent earthquakes. In the areas of seismic activity, the saltwater disposal principally comes from “produced” water, saline pore water that is coproduced with oil and then injected into deeper sedimentary formations. These formations appear to be in hydraulic communication with potentially active faults in crystalline basement, where nearly all the earthquakes are occurring. Although most of the recent earthquakes have posed little danger to the public, the possibility of triggering damaging earthquakes on potentially active basement faults cannot be discounted. date: 2015-06 date_type: published publication: Science Advances volume: 1 number: 5 publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science id_number: doi:10.1126/sciadv.1500195 issn: 2375-2548 official_url: http://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1500195 access_IS-EPOS: limited owner: Publisher citation: Walsh, F. R. and Zoback, Mark (2015) Oklahoma's recent earthquakes and saltwater disposal. Science Advances, 1 (5). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1500195