Link between fracking and earthquakes unclear: Researchers
Posted Jan 15, 2016 12:33 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Scientists say the link between hydraulic fracking and earthquakes still isn’t understood.
Researchers agree that oil patch activities can cause quakes such as the one that rattled a heavily fracked Alberta oilfield earlier this week, but they don’t know why some fields are so prone to seismic events and most of the others aren’t.
Geologists are trying to figure out which underground features make the earth vulnerable to slipping so they can warn drillers in advance.
Until then, they say the best thing to do is monitor quake-prone fields closely to ensure the tremors don’t get worse or damage vulnerable facilities like well bores.
Fracking involves pumping high-pressure fluids underground to create tiny cracks in rock and release natural gas or oil held inside.
