About This Course

The surge in recent years of earthquake activity associated with some oil and gas operations, most notably in Oklahoma, has spurred a range of actions and responses from state geoscientists and regulators. States have taken measures to monitor these earthquakes and moderate the activities that may be causing them, particularly the deep underground injection of large volumes of wastewater. Many states with extensive oil and gas operations but little or no increased earthquake activity have also adopted practices to prevent and prepare for potential induced earthquakes in their area.

This course features experts from state government in Oklahoma, Texas, and Ohio, who discuss the range of state-level actions and approaches taken by these three oil- and gas-rich states to monitor and reduce the occurrence of induced earthquakes.

This course is based on the AGI webinar, “State Responses to Induced Earthquakes” that was co-sponsored by: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, American Energy Society, American Geophysical Union, American Institute of Professional Geologists, Association of American State Geologists, Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists, Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society, Environmental Defense Fund, Seismological Society of America, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, U.S. Geological Survey.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, students should gain a much improved understanding of:

• The causes of earthquakes associated with oil and gas operations, including wastewater injection and hydraulic fracturing, and the ways in which monitoring and data collection allow geoscientists to identify these causes.
• The reasons why induced earthquakes are much more common in some places than others, and how this regional variability necessitates different responses in different areas.
• The actions being taken on the state level in Oklahoma, Texas, and Ohio to better understand and reduce the occurrence of induced earthquakes.