We investigated the spatial relationships among 18 known seismogenic faults and 1,612 wells drilled for gas exploitation in the main hydrocarbon province of northern-central Italy, a unique dataset worldwide. We adopted a GIS approach and a robust statistical technique, and found a significant anticorrelation between the location of productive wells and of the considered seismogenic faults, which are generally overlain or encircled by sterile wells.
Our observations suggest that (a) earthquake ruptures encompassing much of the upper crust may cause gas to be lost to the atmosphere over geological time, and that (b) reservoirs underlain by smaller or aseismic faults are more likely to be intact.
These findings, which are of inherently global relevance, have crucial implications for future hydrocarbon exploitation, for assessing the seismic-aseismic behavior of large reverse faults, and for the public acceptance of underground energy storage facilities in tectonically active areas, a pillar of future low carbon energy systems.