INDUCED SEISMIC PROCESSES AT OIL AND GAS DEPOSITS

Abstract

The paper describes the characteristic examples of earthquakes that occurred in the areas of intensive development of oil and gas deposits. It is shown that there are two types of seismic processes occurring in oil and gas bearing regions. The first type of
earthquake is of moderate intensity, when the depths of the foci are concentrated in the immediate vicinity of the layers under development. Earthquakes of the second type occur much deeper than the deposits and have a much greater energy potential. Various options of classification of induced earthquakes are discussed. The paper presents the variant of classification of deformation and seismic processes induced by development of oil and gas deposits. It has been suggested that the first type of earthquakes should be referred to as technogenic earthquakes, and the second type as technogenic-induced earthquakes. The example of a detailed network of seismological observations, which is organized withinn the Romashkinskoye oil deposit, has revealed a deep hierarchy of earthquake foci. It has been established that technogenic, technogenic-induced, and tectonic
earthquakes are uniquely identified within the framework of a unified system of measurements.