Between November 2022 and March 2023, an unusual series of earthquakes struck the region around Peace River in the north of the Canadian province of Alberta. As there is also industrial activity in the geological subsurface in the region, the question arose as to whether the quakes were induced or of natural origin. A study by researchers led by Hannes Vasyura-Bathke and Torsten Dahm from the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, together with colleagues from Canada, confirms the suspicion that the quakes were triggered by industrial wastewater disposal that had started 10 years earlier. The findings are based on a detailed analysis of the quakes using seismic measurements and satellite-based radar (InSAR), which were analysed using modern statistical methods. The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment.

Original publication

Vasyura-Bathke, H., Dettmer, J., Biegel, K. et al. Bayesian inference elucidates fault-system anatomy and resurgent earthquakes induced by continuing saltwater disposal. Commun Earth Environ 4, 407 (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s43247-023-01064-1
https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01064-1