Earthquakes associated with oil and gas production: Mechanisms and management
The number of small-to-moderate sized earthquakes in large areas of the central and eastern United States began to increase dramatically in 2005. The occurrence of many of these earthquakes correlates with the increased use of horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing by the oil and gas industry.
In this talk, Professor Zoback explains how and why these earthquakes occurred and the steps that can be taken to reduce their occurrence, and what this may mean for oil and gas production in New Zealand. This is the inaugural lecture in the annual series of the S N Jepson Lectureship in Seismology. About Professor Mark Zoback Professor Mark Zoback is the Benjamin M. Page Professor of Geophysics at Stanford University. He is also the Director of the Stanford Natural Gas Initiative and co-Director of the Stanford Center for Induced and Triggered Seismicity. His current research is focused on unconventional oil and gas development and induced seismicity.