Yet, out of 30,000 wastewater disposal wells only a small fraction appear to be problematic (Ellsworth 2013). This could be due to the amount of water (volume) injected into the wells at the time or whether the pressure is directly communicated into basement faults (Ellsworth 2013). Injection induced earthquakes are clearly a reason for concern as they present a seismic hazard. Industrial activity has for a long period of time been a known cause for earthquakes, impoundment of reservoirs, surface and underground mining, and withdrawal of fluids from the subsurface are all examples of how industry can alter the tectonic movement of earth’s crust without intending to do so (Ellsworth 2013). Hydraulic fracturing is another industrial process that
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Is it worth the potential damage that fracking induced earthquakes can produce? Safe hydraulic fracturing plays a large role in why America is currently experiencing an energy revolution (Energy from Shale 2016). This advancement in the way gas is produced is one that has changed the U.S. energy picture from scarcity to abundance (Energy from Shale 2016). The controversial practice of fracking is allowing the United States to tap vast oil and natural gas reserves that previously beyond our reach, locked in shale and other tight-rock formations. In the next decade, up to ninety percent of the natural gas that will be drilled will require the utilization of hydraulic fracturing (Ehrenberg 2012). Old natural gas wells long thought to be unfruitful are now able to obtain a “new lease on life” and be used once again thanks to fracking which can unlock new stores of oil and gas through the fracturing of shale. If the practice of hydraulic fracturing continues, the United States has the potential to become the world’s leading oil producer (Ehrenberg 2012). The United States is already the leading producer of natural gas in the world, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) (Ehrenberg 2012). So is an increase in earthquakes worth supporting “the engine” of the energy …show more content…
energy picture from scarcity to abundance (Energy from Shale 2016). There is a growing consensus that the rate of earthquakes in central and eastern portions of the United States have increased dramatically since 2009 due an increase in the extraction of fossil fuels by the process of fracking (Hough 2014). However, fracking itself induces only small earthquakes known as microearthquakes which are of less concern than larger more destructive earthquakes such as the November 2011 quake in Prague, OK. This was the largest earthquake to take place in relation to activities the oil and gas industry engages in however it was due to the injection of wastewater (produced from fracking) (Keranen et al. 2013). In a study conducted by researchers at Cornell University found, nearly 45% of this region’s seismicity may be linked to the disposal of fluids generated during Oklahoma hydraulic fracturing (Keranen et al. 2014). The issue of greater concern is earthquakes that are associated with the disposal of fracking fluid into wastewater wells rather than earthquake that result directly from the fracturing of shale (Ehrenberg
Is it worth the potential damage that fracking induced earthquakes can produce? Safe hydraulic fracturing plays a large role in why America is currently experiencing an energy revolution (Energy from Shale 2016). This advancement in the way gas is produced is one that has changed the U.S. energy picture from scarcity to abundance (Energy from Shale 2016). The controversial practice of fracking is allowing the United States to tap vast oil and natural gas reserves that previously beyond our reach, locked in shale and other tight-rock formations. In the next decade, up to ninety percent of the natural gas that will be drilled will require the utilization of hydraulic fracturing (Ehrenberg 2012). Old natural gas wells long thought to be unfruitful are now able to obtain a “new lease on life” and be used once again thanks to fracking which can unlock new stores of oil and gas through the fracturing of shale. If the practice of hydraulic fracturing continues, the United States has the potential to become the world’s leading oil producer (Ehrenberg 2012). The United States is already the leading producer of natural gas in the world, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) (Ehrenberg 2012). So is an increase in earthquakes worth supporting “the engine” of the energy …show more content…
energy picture from scarcity to abundance (Energy from Shale 2016). There is a growing consensus that the rate of earthquakes in central and eastern portions of the United States have increased dramatically since 2009 due an increase in the extraction of fossil fuels by the process of fracking (Hough 2014). However, fracking itself induces only small earthquakes known as microearthquakes which are of less concern than larger more destructive earthquakes such as the November 2011 quake in Prague, OK. This was the largest earthquake to take place in relation to activities the oil and gas industry engages in however it was due to the injection of wastewater (produced from fracking) (Keranen et al. 2013). In a study conducted by researchers at Cornell University found, nearly 45% of this region’s seismicity may be linked to the disposal of fluids generated during Oklahoma hydraulic fracturing (Keranen et al. 2014). The issue of greater concern is earthquakes that are associated with the disposal of fracking fluid into wastewater wells rather than earthquake that result directly from the fracturing of shale (Ehrenberg