The Center for Injection and Seismicity Research

Introduction
History
CISR Researchers
Current CISR Sponsors and Science Advisory Committee (SAC) Representatives
CISR Sponsorship Cost and Benefits
CISR Publications

Introduction

The Center for Injection and Seismicity Research (CISR) is a research center at The University of Texas Jackson School of Geoscience’s Bureau of Economic Geology. The goal of CISR is to conduct leading science and application on the impacts of large-scale injection on the subsurface and surface environment. CISR applies geology, seismology, hydrogeology, geomechanics, and satellite geodesy to study how reservoirs respond dynamically to fluid injection. The goal is to characterize the intersection of natural factors and anthropogenic drivers that cause dynamic change to reservoirs so that stakeholders can mitigate the hazard of induced earthquakes, threats to the surface environment, and challenges to sustainable energy development. CISR is funded by an industrial consortium, state regulatory agencies, and the U.S. Department of Energy. CISR and the TexNet Seismic Observatory are separate yet collaborating organizations at the Bureau. CISR collaborates with numerous other research centers at the Bureau including GCCC, TORA, QCL, RCRL, and others, and with other research organizations and universities.

Examples of CISR Research Areas, Projects, and Data Products:

History

CISR was founded in 2016 within the Bureau’s Environmental Research Division. Peter Hennings served as its formational Principal Investigator and led the center through 2024. Dr. Hennings was joined by Dr. Katie Smye in 2016 who led CISR’s geologic characterization research through 2023 when she became CISR co-PI. Dr. JP Nicot joined CISR in 2017 as its hydrogeology and reservoir engineering lead and became a CISR co-PI in 2024.

The principal scientific questions that drive CISR research are:

• What are the deterministic geologic elements that contribute to anthropogenic fault rupture, earthquakes, and reservoir deformation accompanying large-scale injection?
• What are the physical mechanisms that trigger seismogenic or aseismogenic fault slip?
• What are the impacts of, and constraints on large-scale injection?
• What sorts of datasets and models are required for hazard mitigation for use by regulators and industry?

High-Level Synopsis of the CISR Research Portfolio (see sidebar link):

A. Understanding the Deterministic Geological Conditions that Promote Fault Rupture and Seismicity

• conducting in-depth seismological analyses on key earthquake sequences including moment tensors and FPS
• developing quantitative 3D geological characterizations of earthquake systems for analysis & modeling
• integrating seismological data with geologic characterizations and mechanistic analyses
• mapping and understanding faults
• characterization of in-situ stress tensors, locally to regionally, with consideration of pore pressure
• analysis of deterministic and probabilistic 2D and 3D fault rupture sensitivity
• developing models of fault stressing influence including pore pressure evolution and total stress change
• understanding fault nucleation, rupture processes, and stressing thresholds

B. Reservoir Dynamics of Large-Scale Injection

• understanding spatiotemporal trends in injection practices and likely future injection scenarios
• understanding and predicting the impact and dynamic capacity of local- to large-scale wastewater injection

C. Dataset, Model, and Tool Development

• using integrated geological models to relocate earthquakes with a focus on depth where/when appropriate
• developing data, parameters, and models for use by CISR sponsors and collaborating researchers
• developing and/or enhancing and provision of analysis tools

D. Broad-Scale Stakeholder Communication

• liaise frequently with CISR sponsors via CISR-SAC meetings and one-on-one collaborations
• enter into secondary agreements with CISR sponsors to incorporate proprietary data into CISR’s research
• communicate proactively with stakeholders including regulators, trade organizations, and scientific societies
• publish research findings in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals

CISR Researchers

The CISR research organization is a blend of full-time Bureau scientists and support staff, other Bureau scientists who are matrixed into CISR as appropriate, scientists and graduate students from other University of Texas academic units, and researchers from external institutes and universities.

Current CISR researchers:

Dr. Peter Hennings^B, CISR Principal Investigator, geology and geomechanics
Dr. Katie Smye^B, CISR Co-Principal Investigator, reservoir characterization, integration
Dr. JP Nicot^B, CISR Co-Principal Investigator, reservoir engineering, hydrogeology, geochemistry
Lily Horne^B,E,1, structural interpretation and analysis, hazard characterization
Dr. Amanda Calle^B, geologic interpretation and reservoir characterization
Dr. Jun Ge^B, reservoir engineering and hydrogeologic modeling
Dr. Jianqiao (Tim) Leng^B, reservoir engineering and hydrogeologic modeling
Dr. Alan Morris^B, stress interpretation and analysis, structural geology
Dr. Chas Bolton^I,B, physical and computational rock mechanics
Roxana Darvari^B, reservoir engineering and hydrogeologic modeling data analysis
Bob Reedy^B, injection data products and analysis
Bissett Young^B, data science and analysis
Dr. Shuvajit Bhattacharya^B, petrophysics
David Hoffman^B, geological modeling
Melianna Ulfah^E,1, geological modeling and reservoir engineering
Mukul Sharma^P, geomechanics and reservoir engineering
Fehmi Ozbayrak^P,1, geomechanics and reservoir engineering
Dr. Ann Chen^A, InSAR Science
Molly Zebker^A,1, InSAR Science
Dr. Kevin Smart^S, computational geomechanics
Dr. Hunjoo Lee^O, reservoir engineering, geomechanical modeling

^BUT Bureau of Economic Geology
^EUT Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
^IUT Institute for Geophysics
^AUT Aerospace Engineering
^PUT Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering
^SSouthwest Research Institute
^OOklahoma State University
¹Ph.D. student

Current CISR Sponsors and Science Advisory Committee (SAC) Representatives

CISR Sponsorship Cost and Benefits

Sponsorship of CISR is $75,000 per year through the University of Texas Industrial Associate (IA) funding program. IA funds draw no University overhead, therefore, 100% of the sponsorship funds go to CISR with a small amount for Bureau administrative overhead. Sponsors and the University of Texas IA office enter into 1- or 2-year Memoranda of Understanding to provide funding to CISR. Invoicing occurs in January of each year.  CISR and many of its sponsors maintain secondary 1-to-1 confidentiality agreements which allows deeper collaboration using sponsor proprietary data.

The benefits of CISR sponsorship (membership) are numerous:

• Direct participation in the most vibrant collaborative in existence for the topics of the impacts of large-scale injection and injection-induced seismicity
• Participation in four comprehensive CISR/sponsor meetings per year including the CISR annual review conducted jointly with TexNet each December at the Bureau in Austin
• Numerous ad hoc online topical meetings
• Ability to request in-house meetings of CISR staff and sponsor technical and management groups
• Frequent 1-on-1 consultations between sponsor technical staff and CISR researchers
• Ability to advise CISR on the both the generalities of its research portfolio and the specifics of its component studies
• Access to all current and prior CISR presentations and publications
• Access to all current CISR models and data sets including fault interpretations, in situ stress analyses, fault slip hazard assessments, 3D populated geological reservoir models, 3D hydrogeologic and reservoir engineering models, and many other CISR products
• Ability to enter into no-cost secondary proprietary research collaborations which allow for sharing and analysis of sponsor proprietary data

Please contact Peter.Hennings@beg.utexas.edu or Katie.Smye@beg.utexas.edu for more information about CISR research and CISR membership. Please contact Vicki.Stratton@beg.utexas.edu regarding CISR membership agreements, invoicing, and payments.

CISR Publications

47. Horne, E., Callahan, O., Smye, K., Barnes, M., Eichhubl, P., Breton, C., Hennings, P., in prep, The Structure of the Geologic Basement in Texas, The Geologic Basement of Texas: a volume in honor of Peter Flawn: The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology Report of Investigations.

46. Haddad, M. and Eichhubl., 2024, Normal fault reactivation induced by hydraulic fracturing: Poroelastic effects, Interpretation, doi: 10.1190/INT-2023-0031.1. 

45. Hennings, P.H., 2024, The Geology of Injection-Induced Earthquakes in the Midland Basin Region: Introduction, AAPG Bulletin, doi: TBD.

44. Hennings, P., and Smye, K.M., 2024, Knowns, Questions, and Implications of Induced Seismicity in the Permian Basin, USA, AAPG Bulletin, 10.1306/08292424051 (available soon at AAPG Bulletin Ahead of Print Archives).

43. Hennings, P.H., Ge, J., Horne, E.A., Smye, K.M., and Nicot, J.-P., 2024, Pore Pressure Thresholds from Injection Associated with Seismogenic Fault Rupture in the Midland Basin, West Texas, USA, AAPG Bulletin, doi: 10.1306/07232424014 (see AAPG Bulletin Ahead of Print Archives).

42. Ge, J., Nicot, J.-P., Smye, K.M. Calle, A. Hennings, P.H., E.A. Horne, and Leng, J., 2024, Modeling the Evolution of Pore Pressure from Deep Wastewater Injection in the Midland Basin, West Texas, USA, AAPG Bulletin, doi 10.1306/09102424008 (available soon at AAPG Bulletin Ahead of Print Archives).

41. Horne, E., Hennings, P., Smye, K., Calle, A., Morris, A., Huang, G., 2024, Interpretation, Characterization and Fault Slip Hazard Assessment of Faults in the Midland Basin, West Texas, USA, AAPG Bulletin, doi: 10.1306/01242423080 (see AAPG Bulletin Ahead of Print Archives).

40. Calle, A.Z., Smye, K.M., Horne, E.A., Eastwood, R., Hennings, P.H., R. Reedy, 2024, Paleozoic Stratigraphic Record and its Reservoir Potential for Saltwater Disposal in the Midland Basin, West Texas, USA, AAPG Bulletin, doi: 10.1306/05212424005 (see AAPG Bulletin Ahead of Print Archives).

39. Smye, K.M., Yut, K., Reedy, R., Scanlon, B, Nicot, J.P., Hennings, P., 2024, Challenges Associated with Water Production and Injection in the Permian Basin Region, AAPG Bulletin, doi: 10.1306/08082424025 (see AAPG Bulletin Ahead of Print Archives).

38. Morris, A, Smye, K., and Hennings, P., 2024, Hydraulic fracturing, fault system architecture and the details of anthropogenic earthquakes in the post-Pennsylvanian Delaware Basin of West Texas, Lithosphere, https://doi.org/10.2113/2024/lithosphere_2024_116.

37. Smart, K.J., Smye, K.M., Cawood, A.J., Ferrill, D.A., Hennings, P.H., Horne, E.A., accepted, Geomechanical modeling of reservoir dynamics associated with shallow injection and production in the Delaware Basin, Interpretation.

36. Smye, K.M., Ge, J., Morris, A., Horne, E.A., Calle, A., Eastwood, R.L., Nicot, J.-P., Hennings, P., 2024, Role of Deep Fluid Injection in Induced Seismicity in the Delaware Basin, West Texas and Southeast New Mexico, G-Cubed, http://doi.org/10.1029/2023GC011260.

35. Huang, G-C. D., Y. Chen, and A. Savvaidis, 2024, Complex Seismotectonic Characteristics in the Midland Basin of Texas: Constrained by Seismicity and Earthquake Source Mechanisms, Seismological Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1785/0220230269.

34. Bolton, D.C., Affinito, R., Smye, K., Marone, C., and Hennings, P., 2023, Frictional and poromechanical properties of the Delaware Mountain Group - Insights into induced seismicity in the Delaware Basin, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118436.

33. Lee, H.P., Staniewicz, S., Chen, J., Hennings, P., Olson, J.E., 2023, Subsurface deformation monitoring with InSAR and elastic inversion modeling in west Texas, Geoenergy Science and Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoen.2023.212299.

32. Hennings, P., Staniewicz, S., Smye, K., Chen, J., Horne, E., Nicot, J-P., Ge, J., Reedy, R., and Scanlon, B., 2023, Widespread anthropogenic uplift, subsidence, faulting and earthquakes in the Delaware Basin of Texas and New Mexico, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166367.

31. Hennings, P., and Young, M., 2023, The TexNet-CISR collaboration and steps toward understanding induced seismicity in Texas, http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/2023.2559(06).

30. Acevedo, J., Lemons, C., Young, M., McDaid, G., Scanlon, B, 2022, Analysis of wastewater injection and prospect regions for induced seismicity in the Texas panhandle, United States, AAPG Bulletin, https://doi.org/10.1306/EG.01072120005.

29. Huang, G., Horne, E., Kavoura, F., and Savvaidis, A., 2022, Characteristics of seismogenic structures and 3D stress state of the Delaware Basin of West Texas as constrained by earthquake source mechanisms, Seismological Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1785/0220220054.

28. Horne, E., Smye, K., Hennings, P., 2022, Structure and characteristics of the basement in the Fort Worth Basin, https://store.beg.utexas.edu/reports-of-investigations/3826-ri0286c7.html.

27. McKeighan, C., Hennings, P., Horne, E.A., Smye, K., Morris, A.P., 2022, Understanding anthropogenic fault rupture in the Eagle Ford Region, south-central Texas, https://doi.org/10.1785/0120220074.

26. Horne, E., Hennings, P., Smye, K., Staniewicz, S., Chen, J., Savvaidis, A., 2022, Structural characteristics of shallow-normal Faults in the Delaware Basin, Texas and New Mexico, https://doi.org/10.1190/INT-2022-0005.1.

25. Ge, J., Nicot, J.-P., Hennings, P.H., Smye, K.M., Hosseini, S.A., Gao, R.S., and Breton, C.L., 2022, Recent Water Disposal and Pore Pressure Evolution in the Delaware Mountain Group, Delaware Basin, Southeast New Mexico and West Texas, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2022.101041.

24. Hennings, P.H., Dvory, N., Horne, E.A., Li, P., Savvaidis, A., Zoback, M., 2021, Stability of the Fault Systems that Host Induced Earthquakes in the Delaware Basin of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico, https://doi.org/10.1785/0320210020.

23. Hennings, P.H., J.P. Nicot, R.S. Gao, H.R. DeShon, J-E. Lund Snee, A.P. Morris, M.R. Brudzinski, E.A. Horne, and C. Breton, 2021, Pore Pressure Threshold and Fault Slip Potential for Induced Earthquakes in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area of North Central Texas, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL093564.

22. Smye, K.M., Banerji, D.A., Eastwood, R., McDaid, G. and Hennings, P.H., 2021, Lithology and Reservoir Properties of the Delaware Mountain Group of the Delaware Basin and Implications for Saltwater Disposal and Induced Seismicity, https://doi.org/10.2110/jsr.2020.134.

21. Morris, A.P., Hennings, P.H., Horne, E.A., Smye, K.M., 2021 Stability of Basement-Rooted Faults in the Delaware Basin of Texas and New Mexico, USA, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2021.104360.

20. Gao, R., Nicot, J.-P., Hennings, P. H., La Pointe, P., Smye, K., Horne, E. A., Dommisse, R., 2021, Low pressure build-up with large disposal volumes of oilfield water A comprehensive hydrogeologic model of pore pressure change in the Ellenburger Group, Fort Worth Basin, North-Central Texas, https://doi.org/10.1306/03252120159.

19. Wang, W., Kahlor, L., Moon, W., Olson, H., 2021, Person, Place, or Thing: Individual, Community, and Risk Information Seeking, Sage Journals, https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547020986805.

18. Peng. L., Huang G., Savvaidis, A., Kavoura, F., Porritt, R., 2021, Characteristics of seismicity in the Eagle Ford shale play, southern Texas, constrained by earthquake relocation and centroid Moment tensor inversion, Seismological Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1785/0220210005.

17. Smye, K.M., Hennings, P.H., Horne, E.A., 2021, Variations in Vertical Stress in the Permian Basin Region, https://doi.org/10.1306/10092019189.

16. Horne, E.A., Hennings, P.H., and Zahm, C. K., 2021, Basement-rooted faults of the Delaware Basin and Central Basin Platform, Permian Basin, West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico, https://store.beg.utexas.edu/reports-of-investigations/3825-ri0286c6.html.

15. Nicot, J-P., 2020, Hydrogeology of the Texas Basement, The Geologic Basement of Texas: a volume in honor of Peter Flawn, BEG Report Investigations, https://store.beg.utexas.edu/reports-of-investigations/3831-ri0286c5.html.

14. Haddad, M., Eichhubl, P. , 2020, Poroelastic Modeling of Basement Fault Reactivation Caused by Saltwater Disposal Near Venus, Johnson County, Texas, 54th U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, https://onepetro.org/ARMAUSRMS/proceedings-abstract/ARMA20/All-ARMA20/ARMA-2020-2006/447782.

13. Haddad, M., Eichhubl, P., 2020, Poroelastic models for fault reactivation in response to concurrent injection and production in stacked reservoirs, Journal of Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gete.2020.100181.

12. Staniewicz, S., Chen,  J. Lee, H., Olson, J., Savvaidis, A., Reedy, R., Breton, C., Rathje, E., Hennings, P., 2020, InSAR reveals complex surface deformation patterns over an 80,000 square kilometer oil-producing region in the Permian Basin, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090151.

11. Horne, E.A., Hennings, P.H., Osmond, J.L., DeShon, H., 2020, Structural characterization of potentially seismogenic faults in the greater Fort Worth Basin, https://doi.org/10.1190/int-2019-0188.1.

10. Chen, R., Xue, X., Park, J., Datta-Gupta, A., and King, M., 2020, New insights into the mechanisms of seismicity in the Azle area, North Texas, Geophysics, https://doi.org/10.1190/geo2018-0357.1.

9. Frohlich, C., Hayward, C., Rosenblit, J., Aiken, C., Hennings, P., Savvaidis, A., Lemons, C., Horne, E., Walter, J.L., DeShon, H.R., 2020, Onset and cause of increased seismic activity near Pecos, West Texas, USA from observations at the Lajitas TXAR Seismic Array, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JB017737.

8. Kahlor, L., Wang, W., Olsen, H., Li, X., and Markman, A., 2019, Public perceptions and information-seeking intentions related to seismicity in five Texas communities, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101147.

7. Fan, Z., Eichhubl, P., Newell, P., 2019, Basement fault reactivation by fluid injection into sedimentary reservoirs: poroelastic effects, JGR Solid Earth, http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2018JB017062.

6. Deline, M., Kahlor, L., 2019, Planned risk information avoidance: A proposed theoretical model, Communication Theory, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ct/qty035.

5. Hennings, P.H., Lund Snee, J-E., Osmond, J.L., DeShon, H.R., Dommisse, R., Horne, E.A., Lemons, C. and Zoback, M.D., 2019, Injection-Induced Seismicity and Fault Slip Potential in the Fort Worth Basin, Texas, https://doi.org/10.1785/0120190017.

4. Lemons, C., McDaid, G., Scanlon, B., Hennings, P.H., and Acevedo, J., 2019, Geographic, Stratigraphic, and Temporal Variation in Saltwater Disposal Practices of the Permian Region, Texas and New Mexico, USA, https://doi.org/10.1306/eg.06201919002.

3. Smye, K.M., Lemons, C. R., Eastwood, R., McDaid, G., and Hennings, P.H., 2019, Stratigraphic Architecture and Petrophysical Characterization of Formations for Deep Disposal in the Fort Worth Basin, TX., https://doi.org/10.1190/INT-2018-0195.1.

2. Kahlor, L., Olson, H., Markman, A., Wang, W., 2018, Avoiding trouble: Exploring environmental risk information avoidance intentions, Environment and Behavior, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0013916518799149.

1. Chen, R., Xue, X. Yao, C., Datta-Gupta, A., King, M., Hennings, P., & Dommisse, R., 2018, Coupled Fluid Flow and Geomechanical Modeling of Seismicity in the Azle Area North Texas, https://doi.org/10.2118/191623-MS.