Barbara A. Bekins

Sharp increase in central Oklahoma seismicity since 2008 induced by massive wastewater injection

Wastewater disposal linked to earthquakes The number of earthquakes is increasing in regions with active unconventional oil and gas wells, where water pumped at high pressure breaks open rock containing natural gas, leaving behind wastewater in need of disposing. Keranen et al. show that the steep rise in earthquakes in Oklahoma, USA, is likely caused by fluid migration from wastewater disposal wells. Twenty percent of the earthquakes in the central United States could be attributed to just four of the wells. Injected fluids in high-volume wells triggered earthquakes over 30 km away. Science, this issue p. 448 The recent surge in central U.S. seismicity is likely attributable to injection of wastewater at a small number of wells. Unconventional oil and gas production provides a rapidly growing energy source; however, high-production states in the United States, such as Oklahoma, face sharply rising numbers of earthquakes. Subsurface pressure data required to unequivocally link earthquakes to wastewater injection are rarely accessible. Here we use seismicity and hydrogeological models to show that fluid migration from high-rate disposal wells in Oklahoma is potentially responsible for the largest swarm. Earthquake hypocenters occur within disposal formations and upper basement, between 2- and 5-kilometer depth. The modeled fluid pressure perturbation propagates throughout the same depth range and tracks earthquakes to distances of 35 kilometers, with a triggering threshold of ~0.07 megapascals. Although thousands of disposal wells operate aseismically, four of the highest-rate wells are capable of inducing 20% of 2008 to 2013 central U.S. seismicity.

High-rate injection is associated with the increase in U.S. mid-continent seismicity

Making quakes depends on injection rates Wastewater injection wells induce earthquakes that garner much attention, especially in tectonically inactive regions. Weingarten et al. combined information from public injection-well databases from the eastern and central United States with the best earthquake catalog available over the past 30 years. The rate of fluid injection into a well appeared to be the most likely decisive triggering factor in regions prone to induced earthquakes. Along these lines, Walsh III and Zoback found a clear correlation between areas in Oklahoma where waste saltwater is being injected on a large scale and areas experiencing increased earthquake activity. Science, this issue p. 1336; Sci. Adv. 10.1126/sciadv.1500195 (2015). High injection rates of wastewater into deep wells increase the risk of earthquakes in regions prone to induced seismicity. An unprecedented increase in earthquakes in the U.S. mid-continent began in 2009. Many of these earthquakes have been documented as induced by wastewater injection. We examine the relationship between wastewater injection and U.S. mid-continent seismicity using a newly assembled injection well database for the central and eastern United States. We find that the entire increase in earthquake rate is associated with fluid injection wells. High-rate injection wells (>300,000 barrels per month) are much more likely to be associated with earthquakes than lower-rate wells. At the scale of our study, a well’s cumulative injected volume, monthly wellhead pressure, depth, and proximity to crystalline basement do not strongly correlate with earthquake association. Managing injection rates may be a useful tool to minimize the likelihood of induced earthquakes.

Progression of natural attenuation processes at a crude-oil spill site . I. Geochemical evolution of the plume

A 16-year study of a hydrocarbon plume shows that the extent of contaminant migration and compound-specific behavior have changed as redox reactions, most notably iron reduction, have progressed over time. Concentration changes at a small scale, determined from analysis of pore-water samples drained from aquifer cores, are compared with concentration changes at the plume scale, determined from analysis of water samples from an observation well network. The small-scale data show clearly that the hydrocarbon plume is growing slowly as sediment iron oxides are depleted. Contaminants, such as ortho-xylene that appeared not to be moving downgradient from the oil on the basis of observation well data, are migrating in thin layers as the aquifer evolves to methanogenic conditions. However, the plume-scale observation well data show that the downgradient extent of the Fe2+ and BTEX plume did not change between 1992 and 1995. Instead, depletion of the unstable Fe (III) oxides near the subsurface crude-oil source has caused the maximum dissolved iron concentration zone within the plume to spread at a rate of approximately 3 m/year. The zone of maximum concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) has also spread within the anoxic plume. In monitoring the remediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated ground water by natural attenuation, subtle concentration changes in observation well data from the anoxic zone may be diagnostic of depletion of the intrinsic electron-accepting capacity of the aquifer. Recognition of these subtle patterns may allow early prediction of growth of the hydrocarbon plume.

Simulation of aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation processes at a crude oil spill site

A two-dimensional, multispecies reactive solute transport model with sequential aerobic and anaerobic degradation processes was developed and tested. The model was used to study the field-scale solute transport and degradation processes at the Bemidji, Minnesota, crude oil spill site. The simulations included the biodegradation of volatile and nonvolatile fractions of dissolved organic carbon by aerobic processes, manganese and iron reduction, and methanogenesis. Model parameter estimates were constrained by published Monod kinetic parameters, theoretical yield estimates, and field biomass measurements. Despite the considerable uncertainty in the model parameter estimates, results of simulations reproduced the general features of the observed groundwater plume and the measured bacterial concentrations. In the simulation, 46% of the total dissolved organic carbon (TDOC) introduced into the aquifer was degraded. Aerobic degradation accounted for 40% of the TDOC degraded. Anaerobic processes accounted for the remaining 60% of degradation of TDOC: 5% by Mn reduction, 19% by Fe reduction, and 36% by methanogenesis. Thus anaerobic processes account for more than half of the removal of DOC at this site.

Episodic fluid flow in the Nankai accretionary complex: Timescale, geochemistry, flow rates, and fluid budget

Down-hole geochemical anomalies encountered in active accretionary systems can be used to constrain the timing, rates, and localization of fluid flow. Here we combine a coupled flow and solute transport model with a kinetic model for smectite dehydration to better understand and quantify fluid flow in the Nankai accretionary complex offshore of Japan. Compaction of sediments and clay dehydration provide fluid sources which drive the model flow system. We explicitly include the consolidation rate of underthrust sediments in our calculations to evaluate the impact that variations in this unknown quantity have on pressure and chloride distribution. Sensitivity analysis of steady state pressure solutions constrains bulk and flow conduit permeabilities. Steady state simulations with 30% smectite in the incoming sedimentary sequence result in minimum chloride concentrations at site 808 of 550 mM, but measured chlorinity is as low as 447 mM. We simulate the transient effects of hydrofracture or a strain event by assuming an instantaneous permeability increase of 3–4 orders of magnitude along a flow conduit (in this case the decollement), using steady state results as initial conditions. Transient results with an increase in decollement permeability from 10−16 m2 to 10−13 m2 and 20% smectite reproduce the observed chloride profile at site 808 after 80–160 kyr. Modeled chloride concentrations are highly sensitive to the consolidation rate of underthrust sediments, such that rapid compaction of underthrust material leads to increased freshening. Pressures within the decollement during transient simulations rise rapidly to a significant fraction of lithostatic and remain high for at least 160 kyr, providing a mechanism for maintaining high permeability. Flow rates at the deformation front for transient simulations are in good agreement with direct measurements, but steady state flow rates are 2–3 orders of magnitude smaller than observed. Fluid budget calculations indicate that nearly 71% of the incoming water in the sediments leaves the accretionary wedge via diffuse flow out the seafloor, 0–5% escapes by focused flow along the decollement, and roughly 1% is subducted.

Distribution of Microbial Physiologic Types in an Aquifer Contaminated by Crude Oil.

A bstractWe conducted a plume-scale study of the microbial ecology in the anaerobic portion of an aquifer contaminated by crude-oil compounds. The data provide insight into the patterns of ecological succession, microbial nutrient demands, and the relative importance of free-living versus attached microbial populations. The most probable number (MPN) method was used to characterize the spatial distribution of six physiologic types: aerobes, denitrifiers, iron-reducers, heterotrophic fermenters, sulfate-reducers, and methanogens. Both free-living and attached numbers were determined over a broad cross-section of the aquifer extending horizontally from the source of the plume at a nonaqueous oil body to 66 m downgradient, and vertically from above the water table to the base of the plume below the water table. Point samples from widely spaced locations were combined with three closely spaced vertical profiles to create a map of physiologic zones for a cross-section of the plume. Although some estimates suggest that less than 1% of the subsurface microbial population can be grown in laboratory cultures, the MPN results presented here provide a comprehensive qualitative picture of the microbial ecology at the plume scale. Areas in the plume that are evolving from iron-reducing to methanogenic conditions are clearly delineated and generally occupy 25–50% of the plume thickness. Lower microbial numbers below the water table compared to the unsaturated zone suggest that nutrient limitations may be important in limiting growth in the saturated zone. Finally, the data indicate that an average of 15% of the total population is suspended.

Episodic and constant flow models for the origin of low‐chloride waters in a modern accretionary complex

Some low-chloride pore waters observed in accretionary complexes are thought to result from clay dehydration and subsequent migration of the released water along faults or sand layers. We test this hypothesis with a two-dimensional flow and transport model for a cross section of the northern Barbados accretionary complex. The model flow system is driven by consolidation of the accreted sediments and by fluids from smectite clay dehydration. Steady state simulations result in concentrations that are too high along the decollement fault and too low near the seafloor. In a transient model we simulate buildup and release of fluids by assuming that strain or hydrofracture along the fault causes an instantaneous increase in decollement permeability of 2–3 orders of magnitude. With such an increase, the observed concentrations can be achieved in 100–1000 years. Also pressures along the fault rise to near lithostatic values in 10–100 years and remain high for 1000–10,000 years. This pressure rise may represent a mechanism for sustaining high fault permeabilities long after the initial increase.

Hydrologic controls on the morphology and mechanics of accretionary wedges

At many subduction zones, accretionary complexes form as sediments are offscraped from the subducting plate. Existing mechanical models that treat accretionary complexes as critically tapered wedges of sediment demonstrate that pore pressure controls their taper angle by modifying rock strength. We combine a model of groundwater flow with critical-taper theory to show that permeability and plate-convergence rate are important controls on accretionary wedge geometry through their influence on pore pressure. Low permeability and rapid convergence sustain nearly undrained conditions and shallowly tapered geometry, whereas high permeability and slow convergence result in steep geometry. Our results are generally in good agreement with data from active accretionary complexes, but also illustrate the importance of other factors, such as incoming sediment thickness and stratigraphy. One key implication is that strain rate and hydrologic properties may strongly influence the strength of the crust in a variety of geologic settings.

Mixing effects on apparent reaction rates and isotope fractionation during denitrification in a heterogeneous aquifer

[1] Gradients in contaminant concentrations and isotopic compositions commonly are used to derive reaction parameters for natural attenuation in aquifers. Differences between field‐scale (apparent) estimated reaction rates and isotopic fractionations and local‐scale (intrinsic) effects are poorly understood for complex natural systems. For a heterogeneous alluvial fan aquifer, numerical models and field observations were used to study the effects of physical heterogeneity on reaction parameter estimates. Field measurements included major ions, age tracers, stable isotopes, and dissolved gases. Parameters were estimated for the O2 reduction rate, denitrification rate, O2 threshold for denitrification, and stable N isotope fractionation during denitrification. For multiple geostatistical realizations of the aquifer, inverse modeling was used to establish reactive transport simulations that were consistent with field observations and served as a basis for numerical experiments to compare sample‐based estimates of “apparent” parameters with “true“ (intrinsic) values. For this aquifer, non‐Gaussian dispersion reduced the magnitudes of apparent reaction rates and isotope fractionations to a greater extent than Gaussian mixing alone. Apparent and true rate constants and fractionation parameters can differ by an order of magnitude or more, especially for samples subject to slow transport, long travel times, or rapid reactions. The effect of mixing on apparent N isotope fractionation potentially explains differences between previous laboratory and field estimates. Similarly, predicted effects on apparent O2 threshold values for denitrification are consistent with previous reports of higher values in aquifers than in the laboratory. These results show that hydrogeological complexity substantially influences the interpretation and prediction of reactive transport.

Progression of natural attenuation processes at a crude oil spill site: II. Controls on spatial distribution of microbial populations

A multidisciplinary study of a crude-oil contaminated aquifer shows that the distribution of microbial physiologic types is strongly controlled by the aquifer properties and crude oil location. The microbial populations of four physiologic types were analyzed together with permeability, pore-water chemistry, nonaqueous oil content, and extractable sediment iron. Microbial data from three vertical profiles through the anaerobic portion of the contaminated aquifer clearly show areas that have progressed from iron-reduction to methanogenesis. These locations contain lower numbers of iron reducers, and increased numbers of fermenters with detectable methanogens. Methanogenic conditions exist both in the area contaminated by nonaqueous oil and also below the oil where high hydrocarbon concentrations correspond to local increases in aquifer permeability. The results indicate that high contaminant flux either from local dissolution or by advective transport plays a key role in determining which areas first become methanogenic. Other factors besides flux that are important include the sediment Fe(II) content and proximity to the water table. In locations near a seasonally oscillating water table, methanogenic conditions exist only below the lowest typical water table elevation. During 20 years since the oil spill occurred, a laterally continuous methanogenic zone has developed along a narrow horizon extending from the source area to 50-60 m downgradient. A companion paper [J. Contam. Hydrol. 53, 369-386] documents how the growth of the methanogenic zone results in expansion of the aquifer volume contaminated with the highest concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes.