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Interestingly, they posed that if more frequent human-induced earthquakes persist over time, it might lead to fewer natural earthquakes in the long term. In other words, if seismic activity is already significant in a certain area, fracking can increase the chance of an earthquake in the short term. In 2018, Canadian researchers published new findings in Geophysical Research Letters that show that injection-induced earthquakes are more common in areas like northern British Columbia where “tectonic strain rate” is high. According to Global News, the British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission concluded that the earthquakes, which ranged in magnitude from 3.4 to 4.5, were caused by hydraulic fracturing operations being conducted by the Canadian Natural Resources. As a result, the state instituted tougher permitting conditions for drilling in regions near faults or known seismic activity.Īnd Canadian officials concluded that three earthquakes that occurred in Western Canada in late 2018 were caused by the fracturing process itself. In 2014, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources concluded that fracking had produced tremors southeast of Cleveland in Poland Township.
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The rest are caused by wastewater disposal, most of which it says comes from conventional oil drilling.īut some regions are reporting that the fracking process itself is causing tremors. According to the agency, only 1 percent to 2 percent of the earthquakes are linked to hydraulic fracking itself. The United States Geological Survey, which maintains a myths and misconceptions page on its website, disputes that fracking is causing the rash of frequent “induced earthquakes” in places like Oklahoma. Between 20, the state had 2,409 quakes, according to the Office of the Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment. It damaged several buildings and was felt as far away as Nebraska and Texas. But some are quite significant.Ī 5.8 magnitude earthquake near Pawnee, Oklahoma, in September 2016 was the largest ever recorded in the state. Today, it experiences thousands of tremors.įortunately, most of these quakes are typically around 3.0 or less on the Richter scale, which is below the magnitude people can typically feel. A decade ago, Oklahoma would experience only one or two earthquakes a year. In fact, because of wastewater disposal, Oklahoma now tops California as the most active region in the country for earthquake activity. While some small tremors may be related to the fracking process itself, many of the earthquakes are triggered by the injection of wastewater into deep underground wells.
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What Is Fracking?įracking-related activities have also been linked to increased earthquakes in Oklahoma, Texas and other areas where the practice is common. If you’ve already been harmed by fracking, you may need legal assistance. Grassroots activism is perhaps the only way to prevent fracking from coming to a neighborhood near you. Air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and threats to worker health are also causing alarm. The controversial process has been linked to water contamination and the disposal of wastewater from fracking has triggered earthquakes. And proponents of the extraction method celebrate the fact that is has driven down natural gas prices.īut as fracking has increased so have concerns about its health and environmental impacts. Between 20, United States oil production grew 75 percent and natural gas production grew 39 percent, according to the Independent Petroleum Association of America. Forms of fracking have been around since the 1940s, but improvements in technology have made it more feasible for energy companies to retrieve oil and gas that were once inaccessible.įracking has significantly increased domestic oil and natural gas production. Contrary to popular thought, fracking isn’t exactly a revolutionary new method of drilling.
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