Earthquakes in Kansas Induced by Extremely Far-Field Pressure Diffusion

Abstract

Pressure diffusion from high-volume saltwater disposal wells near the Kansas-Oklahoma border appears to have contributed to triggering earthquakes as far as 90 km away. Elevated seismicity that began in southern Kansas in 2013 is largely believed to be induced by pore pressure increase from dozens of disposal wells injecting unprecedented volumes. Earthquakes initially occurred in dense swarms near the wells, and in subsequent years migrated into surrounding areas with minimal fluid injection. By 2017, earthquakes advanced 90 km from areas surrounding the high-volume injection wells into areas with considerable fluid injection volumes but historically consistent rates. Fluid pressure within the injection interval in southern Kansas increased subsequent to high-volume saltwater disposal in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma. Temporal pressure trends across central Kansas suggest that fluid migration and pressure diffusion from cumulative disposal to the south likely induced earthquakes much farther than previously documented for individual injection wells.