Display options
Cite
Albano M, Barba S, Tarabusi G, et al. Discriminating between natural and anthropogenic earthquakes: insights from the Emilia Romagna (Italy) 2012 seismic sequence. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):282doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-00379-2.
Albano, M., Barba, S., Tarabusi, G., Saroli, M., & Stramondo, S. (2017). Discriminating between natural and anthropogenic earthquakes: insights from the Emilia Romagna (Italy) 2012 seismic sequence. Scientific reports, 7(1), 282. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-00379-2
Albano, Matteo, et al. "Discriminating between natural and anthropogenic earthquakes: insights from the Emilia Romagna (Italy) 2012 seismic sequence." Scientific reports vol. 7,1 (2017): 282. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-00379-2
Albano M, Barba S, Tarabusi G, Saroli M, Stramondo S. Discriminating between natural and anthropogenic earthquakes: insights from the Emilia Romagna (Italy) 2012 seismic sequence. Sci Rep. 2017 Mar 21;7(1):282. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-00379-2. PMID: 28325937; PMCID: PMC5428219.
Copy Download .nbib Format: NLM
Share it on

Sci Rep. 2017 Mar 21;7(1):282. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-00379-2.

Discriminating between natural and anthropogenic earthquakes: insights from the Emilia Romagna (Italy) 2012 seismic sequence.

Scientific reports

Matteo Albano, Salvatore Barba, Gabriele Tarabusi, Michele Saroli, Salvatore Stramondo

Affiliations

  1. Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Via di Vigna Murata 605, 00143, Roma, Italy. [email protected].
  2. Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Via di Vigna Murata 605, 00143, Roma, Italy.
  3. Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Meccanica, Università degli Studi di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale, Via G. di Biasio 43, 03043, Cassino, Italy.

PMID: 28325937 PMCID: PMC5428219 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-00379-2

Abstract

The potential for oilfield activities to trigger earthquakes in seismogenic areas has been hotly debated. Our model compares the stress changes from remote water injection and a natural earthquake, both of which occurred in northern Italy in recent years, and their potential effects on a nearby Mw 5.9 earthquake that occurred in 2012. First, we calculate the Coulomb stress from 20 years of fluid injection in a nearby oilfield by using a poroelastic model. Then, we compute the stress changes for a 2011 Mw 4.5 earthquake that occurred close to the area of the 2012 mainshock. We found that anthropogenic activities produced an effect that was less than 10% of that generated by the Mw 4.5 earthquake. Therefore, the 2012 earthquake was likely associated with a natural stress increase. The probability of triggering depends on the magnitude of recent earthquakes, the amount of injected water, the distance from an event, and the proximity to the failure of the activated fault. Determining changes that are associated with seismic hazards requires poroelastic area-specific models that include both tectonic and anthropogenic activities. This comprehensive approach is particularly important when assessing the risk of triggered seismicity near densely populated areas.

References

  1. Science. 2015 Feb 20;347(6224):830-1 - PubMed
  2. Science. 2015 Jun 12;348(6240):1224-6 - PubMed
  3. Sci Rep. 2016 Oct 11;6:35007 - PubMed
  4. Science. 2014 Apr 11;344(6180):141 - PubMed
  5. Science. 1992 Mar 27;255(5052):1687-90 - PubMed
  6. Sci Rep. 2015 Nov 10;5:16558 - PubMed
  7. Science. 2013 Jul 12;341(6142):1225942 - PubMed
  8. Sci Rep. 2014 Aug 26;4:6100 - PubMed

Publication Types