Oil drilling likely triggered over 100 earthquakes in the UK

13.01.2025/13/30 XNUMX:XNUMX    392

A series of small earthquakes in Surrey in 2018-2019 were caused by oil production, not natural processes as previously thought, British geologists have found.

by @freepik

A study by scientists Matthew Fox and Philip Meredith from University College London showed that oil extraction from the Horse Hill formation changed the pressure in underground structures, which provoked rock slides and earthquakes. They conducted more than a million computer simulations, which established a clear temporal relationship between oil extraction and seismic activity. The properties of local rocks played a special role in the process: in porous limestone, the response to pressure changes occurs almost instantly, while in dense clays it takes tens of days.

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The problem of induced seismicity goes beyond Great Britain. In the USA, in particular, earthquakes with a magnitude of up to 5,6 have been recorded as a result of mining and pumping fluids into the subsoil. Similar activity is also observed in South Korea, where geothermal projects have caused earthquakes due to stress in the earth's crust.

Representatives of the oil company UK Oil & Gas previously denied the connection between their activities and the earthquakes, referring to the findings of the British Geological Survey. However, Fox and Meredith's research raises the issue of the need for more careful risk assessment when developing deposits, as the consequences of mining may be more significant than previously thought.

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