Patent ID: 6991037

Claim:
A method for creating multiple vertical hydraulic fractures oriented at differing azimuths in a formation of unconsolidated and weakly cemented sediments, comprising: a. drilling a bore hole in the formation to a predetermined depth; b. installing an injection casing in the bore hole at the predetermined depth; c. injecting a fracture fluid into the injection casing with sufficient fracturing pressure to dilate the injection casing and the formation in a first preferential direction and thereby initiate a first vertical fracture at a first azimuth orthogonal to the first direction of dilation; and d. further injecting the fracture fluid into the injection casing with sufficient fracturing pressure to dilate the injection casing and the formation in a second preferential direction different from the first preferential direction, e. preventing the fracture fluid from entering the first vertical fracture and thereby initiating a second vertical fracture at a second azimuth orthogonal to the second preferential direction of dilation.