Ground monitoring supporting Oil&Gas activities

Issue

Investigate the relationship between ground instability processes and gas extraction activities performed over the last 20 years.

Solution

Detection and measurement of ground displacements occurred in the past twenty years (1992 – 2010) in a 20 km area were performed using Advanced Satellite SAR Interferometry (A-DInSAR) techniques (by data available in the European Space Agency archive) in order to define landslides spatial and temporal evolution and their correlation with gas extraction and rainfalls. A-DInSAR data were then correlated with traditional field geological and geomorphological surveys and aerial photograph interpretation.

Achievement

Generalized subsidence effect caused by gas extraction activities has been not detected, thus concluding that gas extraction has no influence on the ground surface. Moreover, the spatial evolution of detected landslides was monitored in order to evaluate potential hazards for buildings and infrastructures. Dynamics of main processes were modelled with high detail.
Most important processes were analysed with advanced localscale techniques, taking into accounts geological aspects and local processes. Finally, slope instabilities showed no direct relation with gas extraction activities.

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