U23A:
Hydraulic Fracturing: The Great Debate

Abstract Submissions Are Invitation Only

Session ID#: 5819

Session Description:

Hydraulic fracturing (HF) and associated technologies such as horizontal drilling have had game-changing impact on North American economies, but have also prompted widespread environmental concerns. These factors have led to a wide disparity in public opinion and regulatory frameworks applicable to these technologies. In Canada, four provinces have de facto bans (QC, NB,NS, NL), and the three provinces with long histories of onshore oil and gas development (BC, AB, SK) are supportive of HF and its potential to facilitate access to unconventional resources. This session will provide a venue for balanced geoscientific perspectives on the risks and benefits, spanning disciplines such as geomechanics, petroleum geology, seismology, hydrology and geochemistry. Presentations from industry, academic and government agencies are encouraged; we aim to stimulate discussions on this timely issue, covering a wide range of perspectives.

OSPA Liaison: David W S Eaton, University of Calgary, Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment, Calgary, AB, Canada

Chairs: David W S Eaton, University of Calgary, Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment, Calgary, AB, Canada and Maurice B. Dusseault, University of Waterloo, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Waterloo, ON, Canada

Primary Convener: David W S Eaton, University of Calgary, Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment, Calgary, AB, Canada

Convener: Maurice B. Dusseault, University of Waterloo, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Waterloo, ON, Canada

Index Terms:

1831 Groundwater quality [HYDROLOGY]
6620 Science policy [PUBLIC ISSUES]
7212 Earthquake ground motions and engineering seismology [SEISMOLOGY]
8164 Stresses: crust and lithosphere [TECTONOPHYSICS]

Co-Sponsor(s):

H - Hydrology
S - Seismology
T - Tectonophysics

Abstracts Submitted to this Session:

U23A-01

Hydraulic Fracture Growth Geometries in Unconventional Reservoirs: Closing Gaps among Perceptions, Predictions, and Reality (33891)

Andrew Bunger, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Pittsburgh, United States

U23A-02

AN OVERVIEW OF INDUCED SEISMICITY IN NORTHEAST BRITISH COLUMBIA: REGULATOR RESPONSE AND LESSONS LEARNED (33948)

Dan Walker and Jeff Johnson, British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission, Victoria, BC, Canada

U23A-03

Shale Gas and Tight Oil Potential in Eastern Canada: Some Numbers and What Lay Behind Them (34344)

Stephan Sejourne, Consultant, Montreal, QC, Canada

U23A-04

Assessment of Potential Impacts of Shale Gas Development on Shallow Aquifers in the St. Lawrence Lowlands, Quebec, Canada (34371)

Christine Rivard, Geological Survey of Canada, Quebec City, QC, Canada

U23A-05

Induced seismicity from hydraulic fracturing and large volume wastewater injection: Revising the assessment criteria using results from recent swarms (34866)

Katie M Keranen, Cornell University, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Ithaca, NY, United States and Cliff Frohlich, University of Texas at Austin, Institute for Geophysics, Austin, TX, United States