Seismicity monitoring, reporting to continue in northeast B.C. through extended agreement

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Earthquakes, also known as seismic events, related to natural gas development will continue to be monitored and reported in northeast B.C. thanks to the extension of a funding partnership.

Geoscience announced on December 14th that its partnership with the BC Oil and Gas Research and Innovation Society (BCOGRIS) will extend into 2024.

According to Geoscience BC, the society has monitored and reported induced earthquakes in northeast B.C. for over ten years.

The consortium manages stations in the Horn River Basin and the B.C. Montney Play area, where data is collected and made public.

Geoscience BC says every year, the consortium publishes a report and detailed record of all seismic events.

The recently announced one-year funding extension will allow monitoring, collection and publication to continue, which will help understand best practices and mitigation strategies.

Project partners include the BC Energy Regulator and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, as well as BCOGRIS and Geoscience BC.

”British Columbia has an extensive seismic monitoring network in place thanks, in large

part, to the work of the BC Seismic Research Consortium,” said Stu Venables, supervisor of energy geoscience with the BC Energy Regulator. 

“As a regulator, we’re pleased to be a part of initiatives like this that help keep us at the forefront of seismicity oversight associated with unconventional gas development.”

Natural Resources Canada also provides technical and operational support through its Pacific Geoscience Centre.

Geoscience BC says the partnership will seek long-term funding to continue monitoring.