FrackingFracking does not cause quakes, but disposing water used in the process might: scientists

Researchers gathered on the campus of West Virginia University earlier this month to discuss Marcellus shale-gas drilling.  The shale drilling process pumps millions of gallons of water inside wells. The water is mixed with sand and chemicals then pumped deep into the ground at a very high pressure to fracture the rock and release the natural gas.

NewsOK reports that Cliff Frohlich, a seismologist from the University of Texas, told researchers attending the two day conference that human activity associated with oil and gas production may sometimes cause earthquakes, but the problem lies in the disposal of drilling fluids in the underground injection wells, not hydraulic fracturing. Frohlich added that the vast majority of injection wells do not cause quakes.

There is no knowledge of why some injection wells cause earthquakes but the proper conditions of a “suitable oriented” fault near an injection site can generate conditions for an earthquake. Texas has 10,000 injection wells, many of which have been active since the 1930s. If injection wells were a frequent cause of earthquakes, Texas would be known for major earthquakes but the reality is quite the opposite.

The conference was co-hosted by the National Research Council, the operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences. Workshops at the conference featured officials from the National Energy Technology Laboratory, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as wells as researchers from twelve universities. Reports from the workshop will be used to help West Virginia’s legislative body guide future regulatory discussions.

Frohlich notes that policymakers should consider population and geographic variations when considering regulation aimed at minimizing risk of earthquakes through spacing between and monitoring of injection wells. “There’s places in West Texas you could have a 5.2 earthquake and it wouldn’t bother anyone,” he said. “If you’re going to operate in urban areas, I think you need to invest in incredibly stringent regulations. But in other areas, you probably don’t.”