Injection‐induced earthquakes near Milan, Kansas, controlled by Karstic Networks

Charlene Joubert; Reza Sohrabi; Justin L. Rubinstein; Gunnar Jansen; Stephen A Miller

doi:10.1029/2020gl088326

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Injection‐induced earthquakes near Milan, Kansas, controlled by Karstic Networks

Charlene Joubert·Reza Sohrabi·Justin L. Rubinstein·Gunnar Jansen·Stephen A Miller

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Abstract

Induced earthquakes from waste disposal operations in otherwise tectonically stable regions significantly increases seismic hazard. It remains unclear why injections induce large earthquakes on non‐optimally oriented faults kilometers below the injection horizon, particularly since fluids are not injected under pressure, but rather poured, into the well as observed in the Milan, Kansas area. Here we propose a mechanism for induced earthquakes whereby the karstic lower Arbuckle provides the short‐circuit that establishes a tens of MPa stepwise fluid pressure increase within the basement upon arrival of the hydraulic connection to the free surface and ultimately induce slip on the deeper fault. We investigate this scenario through modeling and mechanical analysis and show that earthquakes near Milan are likely induced by large (and sudden) fluid pressure changes when the karst network links two previously isolated hydrological systems.

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Geophysical Research Letters Article

Source-reported bounding extent: 36.9995° to 37.4764° latitude; -97.807° to -97.1468° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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BibTeX RIS

Charlene Joubert, Reza Sohrabi, Justin L. Rubinstein, Gunnar Jansen, Stephen A Miller. 2020-10-27. Injection‐induced earthquakes near Milan, Kansas, controlled by Karstic Networks. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020gl088326

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