Staff profile

2020 - Present: Post-Doctoral Research Assistant, Durham University.

2020 - Present: Post-Doctoral Research Assistant, Foulger Consulting Ltd.

2020: Research consultant for UKUH at Newcastle University

2017 - 2020: Research Assistant and Consultant, Geoenergy Durham Ltd.

2016 - 2020: PhD Geological Sciences

2015 - 2016: Reseach Assistant for Professor Gillian Foulger and ReFINE

2014 - 2015: MSc (Distinction) Petroleum Geoscience, Heriot-Watt University

2014: Research Assistant, ReFINE

2011 - 2014: BSc (Hons.) Geophysics with Geology, Durham University

Impact of Shale Gas Exploitation

The aim of this project is to understand the impacts of hydraulic fracturing in the overburden of shale resource plays. Field experiments and modelling activities will be used to understand the role of fluids in returning to surface from depth, thereby helping establish a series of best-practice recommendations for monitoring and mitigating fluid leakage into overlying sediments and close to hydraulic fracturing boreholes.

Funded by: Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) SHAPE-UK

PhD

From the bottom to the top: Assessing the potential subsurface migration of fracking-related fluids along natural geological pathways

Using a combination of numerical modelling (Model Muse and MODFLOW), seismic interpretation (Petrel), statistical analysis and environmental fieldwork, the potential contamination of shallow groundwater resources by deeply injected hydraulic fracturing (fracking) fluids was assesed. The research was focussed on UK data and scenarios, but has clear implications for worldwide shale gas resources. Both the Environment Agency and ReFINE (Researching Fracking) Consortium supported this project. 

Completed thesis available here.

Funded by: Durham Doctoral Studentship 2016

Scholarships, Grants and Awards

2018 - James E. Hooks Memorial Grant from the AAPG Grants-in-Aid Foundation.

2018 - Short-listed for the 2018 Durham University Early Career Impact Award.

2018 - St Aidan’s College Russell Smith Conference Award.

2018 - Runner-up for the BP sponsored Research in Progress Presentations, Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, UK. 

2017 - AWE Student Conference Grant for British Seismology Meeting.

2017 - Santander Mobility Grant for Latin America Travel.

2017 - St Aidan’s College Russell Smith Conference Award.

2016 - Durham Doctoral Studentship.

2015 - David G Roberts Student Excellence Award, 8th Petroleum Geology of Northwest Europe Conference, London, UK.

2015 - The Petroleum Geoscience Best Student Prize, Heriot-Watt University, UK.

2014 - The Chevron UK Award for petroleum related work in geophysics, Durham University, UK.

2014 - UK runner-up for the BP Ultimate Field Trip competition.

The Human-Induced Earthquake Database (HiQuake)

The Human-Induced Earthquake Database (HiQuake) is the largest and most up-to-date database of earthquake sequences scientifically proposed to have been induced or triggered by human activity. This project was funded by Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij BV from February 2016 to March 2020 through contracts awarded to Durham University and Geoenergy Durham Ltd. The project is currently funded and run through Foulger Consulting Ltd. 

Journal Article

• Wilson, M. P., Foulger, G. R., Wilkinson, M. W., Gluyas, J. G., Mhana, N., & Tezel, T. (2023). Artificial Intelligence and Human-Induced Seismicity: Initial Observations of ChatGPT. Seismological Research Letters, 94(5), 2111-2118. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220230112
• Ireland, M. T., Brown, R., Wilson, M. P., Stretesky, P. B., Kingdon, A., & Davies, R. J. (2021). Suitability of Legacy Subsurface Data for Nascent Geoenergy Activities Onshore United Kingdom. Frontiers in Earth Science, 9, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.629960
• Wilson, M., & Worrall, F. (2021). The heat recovery potential of ‘wastewater’: a national analysis of sewage effluent discharge temperatures. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, 7(10), https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ew00411e
• Wilson, M. P., Worrall, F., Clancy, S. A., Ottley, C. J., Hart, A., & Davies, R. J. (2020). Compartmentalisation and groundwater‐surface water interactions in a prospective shale gas basin: Assessment using variance analysis and multivariate statistics on water quality data. Hydrological Processes, 34(15), 3271-3294. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13795
• Wilson, M., Worrall, F., Davies, R., & Hart, A. (2020). A dynamic baseline for dissolved methane in English groundwater. Science of the Total Environment, 711, Article 134854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134854
• Wilson, M., Worrall, F., Davies, R., & Hart, A. (2019). Identifying groundwater compartmentalisation for hydraulic fracturing risk assessments. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 21(2), 352-369. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8em00300a
• Wilson, M., Worrall, F., Davies, R., & Almond, S. (2018). Fracking: How far from faults?. Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources, 4(2), 193-199. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40948-018-0081-y
• Foulger, G. R., Wilson, M., Gluyas, J., Julian, B. R., & Davies, R. (2018). Global review of human-induced earthquakes. Earth-Science Reviews, 178, 438-514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.07.008
• Wilson, M., Worrall, F., Davies, R., & Hart, A. (2017). Shallow Aquifer Vulnerability From Subsurface Fluid Injection at a Proposed Shale Gas Hydraulic Fracturing Site. Water Resources Research, 53(11), 9922-9940. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017wr021234
• Wilson, M., Foulger, G., Gluyas, J., Davies, R., & Julian, B. (2017). HiQuake: The Human-Induced Earthquake Database. Seismological Research Letters, 88(6), 1560-1565. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220170112
• Li, A., Davies, R. J., Mathias, S., Yang, J., Hobbs, R., & Wilson, M. (2017). Gas venting that bypasses the feather edge of marine hydrate, offshore Mauritania. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 88, 402-409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2017.08.026
• Wilson, M., Davies, R., Foulger, G., Julian, B., Styles, P., & Gluyas, J. (2015). Anthropogenic earthquakes in the UK: A national baseline prior to shale exploitation. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 68(Part A), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2015.08.023