Injection‐Related Hazards in the Permian Basin as Characterized by Spaceborne InSAR and In Situ Measurements
Abstract Wastewater injection in Texas has led to leakage at compromised wells and anomalous seismicity. We use Sentinel‐1 Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) surface deformation maps and a suite of ground measurements to characterize injection‐related hazards. In Crane County, we measu...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115231 |
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| Summary: | Abstract Wastewater injection in Texas has led to leakage at compromised wells and anomalous seismicity. We use Sentinel‐1 Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) surface deformation maps and a suite of ground measurements to characterize injection‐related hazards. In Crane County, we measure ∼53 cm of uplift in a 5 km2 region from January 2021 to October 2023 followed by ∼10 cm of subsidence from November 2023 to September 2024, associated with a well blowout. In Ward County, we show that well leakage may occur in regions that experience subsidence, because production‐induced subsidence can offset injection‐induced uplift. In Andrews County, >10 cm/yr uplift patterns can be observed due to injection in Texas, which induced seismicity in the neighboring state, New Mexico. Near real‐time InSAR observations are now regularly used to inform environmental hazards due to wastewater injection. |
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| ISSN: | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |