Courtesy of rdnewsNOW

By Sheldon Spackman, rdnewsNOW

Alberta

Hydraulic fracturing likely cause of Red Deer area earthquakes: Report

Jan 23, 2020 | 3:31 PM

Preliminary findings into the cause of a pair of earthquakes near Red Deer over the past two years have identified hydraulic fracturing as the likely cause.

According to an open file report published by the Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) Alberta Geological Survey (AGS) last month, early findings confirm that felt earthquake events occurred near Red Deer in both March 2019 and March 2018.

On Mar. 19, 2018, the report indicates a 3.13 magnitude earthquake was identified near Red Deer, with shaking from the event felt by “some.”

On Mar. 4, 2019, a 4.18 magnitude earthquake was recognized south of Sylvan Lake, with shaking reported as far away as Red Deer. Complaints of damage from the event were also received.

The report indicates a nearby operator, Calgary-based Vesta Energy, installed a seismic network and shared their data with AGS. Analysis of the data suggested both earthquakes were induced by nearby hydraulic fracturing operations, and that other smaller clusters of events (up to magnitude 2.0) were also induced in the Duvernay East Shale Basin (ESB), in which Red Deer and areas west are located.

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A historical analysis of all nearby seismological data in the basin also discovered an additional well which caused earthquakes (up to magnitude 2.59) in September of 2014.

The AGS report also states that previous studies have noted an increase in the number of earthquakes attributable to petroleum resource development within the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB).

According to the report, previous studies indicate hydraulic fracturing, in particular, has contributed most significantly to the apparent rate change in the past few years.

However, despite the regionally pronounced change in earthquake rates and hazard, only a small proportion of the total wells within the WCSB exhibit induced earthquakes.

Officials with Vesta Energy emailed the following statement regarding the report’s findings.

“Vesta operates in areas with potential for seismicity and continues to take the necessary precautions to ensure compliance with Alberta Energy Regulator (“AER”) regulations. Vesta has sophisticated monitoring equipment placed throughout its operating perimeter to detect seismic activity and works with the AER as needed to report any detections of seismic events in the area.”

It goes on to say, “The safety of employees, contractors, and communities near our operations is paramount for Vesta. We are proud to contribute to the local economy by providing employment opportunities and support to local businesses.”