Seismic limits for hard and soft rock Induced earthquakes from oil, gas, and geothermal energy exploration projects can damage infrastructure and concern the public. However, it remains unclear how far away from an injection site an earthquake can still be triggered. Goebel and Brodsky looked at 18 different earthquake-producing injection sites around the world to address this issue. Injecting fluid into softer layers increased the range for seismic hazard, whereas harder basement rock better confined the fluid. These findings should be considered when regulating and managing projects with the potential to induce seismicity. Science, this issue p. 899 The seismic hazard distance from injection wells is dependent on rock type and fault density. Fluid injection can cause extensive earthquake activity, sometimes at unexpectedly large distances. Appropriately mitigating associated seismic hazards requires a better understanding of the zone of influence of injection. We analyze spatial seismicity decay in a global dataset of 18 induced cases with clear association between isolated wells and earthquakes. We distinguish two populations. The first is characterized by near-well seismicity density plateaus and abrupt decay, dominated by square-root space-time migration and pressure diffusion. Injection at these sites occurs within the crystalline basement. The second population exhibits larger spatial footprints and magnitudes, as well as a power law–like, steady spatial decay over more than 10 kilometers, potentially caused by poroelastic effects. Far-reaching spatial effects during injection may increase event magnitudes and seismic hazard beyond expectations based on purely pressure-driven seismicity.

中文翻译：

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全球诱发地震序列汇编中注入井的空间足迹

硬岩和软岩的地震极限 石油、天然气和地热能勘探项目引发的地震会破坏基础设施并引起公众的关注。然而，目前尚不清楚距离注入点多远仍可引发地震。Goebel 和 Brodsky 研究了世界各地 18 个不同的地震产生注入点来解决这个问题。将流体注入较软的地层会增加地震危险的范围，而较硬的基岩可以更好地限制流体。在监管和管理可能诱发地震活动的项目时，应考虑这些发现。科学，这个问题 p。899 距注入井的地震危险距离取决于岩石类型和断层密度。流体注入会导致大范围的地震活动，有时会发生意外的大距离。适当地减轻相关的地震危害需要更好地了解注入的影响区域。我们分析了 18 个诱发案例的全球数据集中的空间地震活动衰减，这些案例在孤立井和地震之间具有明确的关联。我们区分两个种群。第一个特征是近井地震活动密度平台和突变衰减，以平方根时空偏移和压力扩散为主。这些部位的注射发生在结晶基底内。第二个种群表现出更大的空间足迹和量级，以及超过 10 公里的类似幂律的稳定空间衰减，这可能是由多孔弹性效应引起的。