title: Surface uplift and time-dependent seismic hazard due to fluid injection in eastern Texas.
abstract: Observations that unequivocally link seismicity and wastewater injection are scarce. Here we show that wastewater injection in eastern Texas causes uplift, detectable in radar interferometric data up to >8 kilometers from the wells. Using measurements of uplift, reported injection data, and a poroelastic model, we computed the crustal strain and pore pressure. We infer that an increase of >1 megapascal in pore pressure in rocks with low compressibility triggers earthquakes, including the 4.8-moment magnitude event that occurred on 17 May 2012, the largest earthquake recorded in eastern Texas. Seismic activity increased even while injection rates declined, owing to diffusion of pore pressure from earlier periods with higher injection rates. Induced seismicity potential is suppressed where tight confining formations prevent pore pressure from propagating into crystalline basement rocks.
authors.affiliation: School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA. shirzaei@asu.edu.
authors.forename: Manoochehr
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shirzaei
authors.affiliation: Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: William L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Ellsworth
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Kristy F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Tiampo
authors.affiliation: Centre for the Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tectonics (COMET) and Institute of Geophysics and Tectonics, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: Pablo J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: González
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manga