Producer admits fracking causes “very small earthquakes”

Producer admits fracking causes “very small earthquakes” by Dan Healing, August 30, 2012, Calgary Herald
Calgary-based Questerre Energy Corp., which has been prevented from developing its promising Utica shale gas resources by a ban on hydraulic fracturing in Quebec, takes an unflinching look at the relationship between earthquakes and ”fracking” in a new fact sheet. “Media have reported concerns about hydraulic fracturing causing earthquakes,” noted Michael Binnion, president and chief executive, in a news release. “The whole purpose of hydraulic fracturing is to fracture rock under the surface which is a seismic event also known as an earthquake. …” It’s an unusually frank admission but Binnion quickly adds that the severity or “how noticeable” the earthquakes are depends on the stability of the geology. He says the St. Lawrence Lowlands in Quebec are extremely stable and “not generally prone to either natural or induced earthquakes.” … Researchers have known since the 1920s that injecting or withdrawing fluids from the ground could cause earthquakes, the report said, but the issue has resurfaced as states such as Arkansas, Ohio and Texas experienced small tremors associated with wastewater disposal from oil and gas drilling.

[Refer also to Quebec Report, 31 shale gas wells inspected ‘and more than half have problems,’ says envrionmental expert 
Senator Casey Calls for Federal Help With Gas Explosions in NW PA
Drillers face first class-action suit for triggered temblors  First Amended and Consolidated Class Action Complaint 
Raiding the homestead  Alberta Plays Catch-up on Frack Front, Regulator acknowledges water risks   Seismicity in the Oil Field

Halcyon hot springs vanish after B.C. quake ]

This entry was posted in Global Frac News. Bookmark the permalink.