New advances in technology such as advances in horizontal drilling, the use of multi-well drilling pads, and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing allow for the economic consideration of recovering formerly uneconomic, yet proven resources. Hydraulic fracturing perturbs the local stress field and causes slip/shearing in naturally fractured shale formations. Monitoring this process using microseismic techniques provides a valuable tool helping to detect the progression of the treatment and understand the efficacy of the operation. This article provides basic definitions regarding shale gas and development of shale gas reservoirs along with results of many new developments in the field of monitoring induced seismicity associated with hydraulic fracturing operations and characterizing of the efficacy of such operations.
Part of the book: Shale Gas