Fracking and earthquakes

[LynnDel]

Interesting

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-14...arthquakes.html

[Liz]

That was interesting, but thanks to BSG I thought this was going to be about something else.

[LynnDel]

BSG?

[Liz]

BSG= Battle Star Galactica. They use frack as a naughty word.

[phkrause]

BSG= Battle Star Galactica. They use frack as a naughty word.

[LynnDel]

Fracking, in this article, refers to hydraulic fracturing. Where fracking is being done regularly, an increase in earthquakes - in areas where there have not been earthquakes - has been noted.

Here is more about hydraulic fracturing, for those of you who don't like to click:

Hydraulic fracturing is the propagation of fractures in a rock layer caused by the presence of a pressurized fluid. Hydraulic fractures may form naturally, as in the case of veins or dikes, or may be man-made in order to release petroleum, natural gas, coal seam gas, or other substances for extraction, where the technique is often called fracking or hydrofracking. This type of fracturing, known colloquially as a frack job (or frac job), is done from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations. The energy from the injection of a highly-pressurized fracking fluid, creates new channels in the rock which can increase the extraction rates and ultimate recovery of fossil fuels.

As far as BSG, I must confess that I have not been exposed to the expletive form of the word.

LD

[Daryl]

There is an attempt to do fracking in both provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, which is causing a lot of concern and opposition from their residents.

[Dr. Shane]

It looks like the earthquakes are of a low magnitude. Fracking holds a promise of accessing more oil and natural gas in the future than all of that which we have ever been able to pull out in the past. It really provides us a treasure trove of energy.

One would think it be best to limit fracking to certain geographical areas where it could be studied more but during such a bad recession when jobs and capital are so baddy needed, that is a hard thing to do.

I don't know how fracking contaminates ground water because the chemicals being pumped into the ground are being pumped in far below the limits of ground water.

If it turns out that fracking is too dangerous to the environment, we are going to have to take a serious look at coal-to-oil production as a source of energy until alternative green energy becomes more viable.