Land uplift due to subsurface fluid injection
P. Teatini, G. Gambolati, M. Ferronato
Dept. Mathematical Methods and Models for Scientific
Applications, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
A. (Tony) Settari
Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, Canada
D. Walters
TAURUS Reservoir Solutions Ltd., Calgary, Canada
The subsurface injection of fluid (water, gas, vapour) occurs worldwide for a
variety of purposes, e.g. to enhance oil production (EOR), store gas in depleted
gas/oil fields, recharge overdrafted aquifer systems (ASR), and mitigate
anthropogenic land subsidence. Irrespective of the injection target, some areas
have experienced an observed land uplift ranging from a few millimetres to tens
of centimetres over a time period of a few months to several years depending on
the quantity and spatial distribution of the fluid used, pore pressure increase,
geological setting (depth, thickness, and area extent), and hydro-geomechanical
properties of the injected formation. The present paper reviews the fundamental
geomechanical processes that govern land upheaval due to fluid injection in the
subsurface and presents a survey of some interesting examples of anthropogenic
uplift measured in the past by the traditional levelling technique and in recent
times with the aid of satellite technology. The examples addressed include Long
Beach, Santa Clara Valley, and Santa Ana basin, California; Las Vegas Valley,
Nevada; Cold Lake and other similar sites, Canada; Tokyo and Osaka, Japan; Taipei,
Taiwan; Krechba, Algeria; Upper Palatinate, Germany; Chioggia and Ravenna, Italy.
