On the lookout for Alberta tremors

U of C scientist sets up earthquake monitoring equipment across the province

U of C researchers are installing earthquake monitoring devices across Alberta in order to gather data to help them learn more about natural and human-induced seismic activity in the Dave Eaton adjusts a seismometre before installation at the Priddis stationprovince. The equipment will also help to study deep regions of the Earth, using techniques akin to medical ultrasound imaging.

An older, existing station will be re-commissioned today near Priddis, southwest of Calgary, in order to bring the equipment up to modern standards.

"The goal of my project is to improve the understanding of the causes and consequences of poorly understood earthquakes that occur in the interior of a tectonic plate," says project-lead Dave Eaton, professor of geophysics and head of the U of C's Department of Geoscience.

"This will help us monitor tremors that may be caused by the impacts of oil and gas activity in the province such as enhanced recovery of heavy oil by steam injection, and better understand the potential seismic effects of underground CO2 storage. It will also help to unravel the deep geology -- up to hundreds of kilometres -- beneath the surface, which can help to guide diamond exploration."

Earthquakes in Alberta are currently monitored by the Geological Survey of Canada, but numerous small events are missed due to the sparse seismograph station coverage.

"Although large events, such as the 2001 magnitude 5.4 event near Dawson Creek, are rare, it is important to have an accurate earthquake hazard model to help guide current and future development of critical infrastructure such as geological storage of CO2," says Eaton.

Joe Harris and Terry Hood help U of C's Kris Vasudevan prepare the site
near Medicine Hat which will house the seismometer: Credit Derek HoodEaton says that some past studies have noted possible links between oil and gas production and a small series of earthquake, known as earthquake swarms, near Fort St. John and Rocky Mountain House.

The researcher team, including members of the Alberta Geological Survey, spent the summer scouting for appropriate sites to place the equipment, which has already been installed in Medicine Hat, Grande Prairie, Manning and High Level. Other locations to be installed in the spring include Lethbridge and Fort Smith, on the Alberta and Northwest Territory border.

The new stations will expand a similar earthquake monitoring network that was recently installed by researchers at the University of Alberta. The UofA's equipment is very similar, but their stations are not online. Researchers have to go to locations to gather data while information gathered at the U of C's stations will be sent over the Internet to the Geological Survey of Canada and people can access the data from all over the world. They will also be able to measure earthquakes which happen all around the world.

Eaton's project was funded by the provincial government through Alberta Advanced Education and Technology and the federal government through the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

"I think the community needs to support projects like this and research that benefits all of us," says Nancy Boutilier, who lives on the outskirts of Medicine Hat where residents frequently feel the ground trembling from weapons testing at the nearby CFB Suffield. One of these devices was installed on her property in October.

"Derek, my 17-year-old son, is keenly interested in scientific research and is extremely excited about what will be happening on our land.  He is looking forward to participating in the project and keeping the U of C Scientists posted on any outside factors that may influence the data."

Media coverage:  CBC's The National,  Calgary Herald, CTV Calgary