Land subsidence associated with hydrocarbon production, Texas Gulf Coast
Although ground-water withdrawal has been the predominant cause of land subsidence in the Texas Gulf Coast, localized subsidence and faulting have also resulted from hydrocarbon production. Subsidence was documented as early as the 1920s over the Goose Creek field. Since then, subsidence and/or faulting have been identified over the Saxet, South Houston, Chocolate Bayou, Hastings, Alco-Mag, Clinton, Mykawa, Blue Ridge, Webster, and Caplen oil fields. Oil-production-related subsidence over these fields generally creates few environmental or engineering problems. One exception is the subsidence and faulting over the Caplen oil field on Bolivar Peninsula, where more than 1,000 ac of saltwater marsh has been replaced by subaqueous flats. Subsidence may be occurring over other fields but has not been identified because of limited releveled benchmark data. An evaluation of drill-stem and bottom-hole pressure data for the Frio Formation in Texas indicates extensive depressurization presumably from hydrocarbon production. Nearly 12,000 measurements from a pressure data base of 17,000 measurements indicate some depressurization. Some of the Frio zones have pressure declines of more than 1,500 psi from original hydrostatic conditions. Subsidence and faulting may be associated with these fields in the Frio as well as other Tertiary formations where extensive hydrocarbon production and subsequent depressurization have occurred.
- OSTI ID:
- 6775068
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-880301-
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
03 NATURAL GAS
030800 -- Natural Gas-- Environmental Aspects
COASTAL REGIONS
DEPRESSURIZATION
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
FEDERAL REGION VI
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOPHYSICS
GROUND SUBSIDENCE
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MECHANICS
NORTH AMERICA
OIL WELLS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PRESSURE EFFECTS
REMOVAL
ROCK MECHANICS
STRATA CONTROL
TEXAS
USA
WATER
WELLS