Following the Ohio regulators' move in tightening permits on fracking, a new study reveals that suspicions about the induced earthquakes caused by hydraulic fracturing may be true, posing peril to the residents of areas that welcomed the controversial mining technique.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking as most people would call it, is a method in mining that involves drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at an extremely high pressure to break shale rocks, releasing the natural gases contained inside.
To complete a fracturing job, around one to eight million gallons of water is needed and the water is then mixed with sand and chemicals to create a fracking fluid. Chemicals around 40,000 gallons are used in every fracturing.
According to the regulators, the move was made due to a tentative link observed between shale fracking and increased local earthquakes.
"While we can never be 100 percent sure that drilling activities are connected to a seismic event, caution dictates that we take these new steps to protect human health, safety and the environment," said James Zehringer, Ohio agency's director.
Now, a new study affirms their suspicions and calls for the public to take heed.
In a paper presented Friday at the annual Seismological Society of America (SSA) convention, a team of researchers led by Gail Atkinson of the Western University in Ontario Canada backed in a roundabout way the fear in the growing fracking activities around U.S.
The study revealed that activities such as injection disposal wells, underground disposal of wastewater and hydraulic fracturing, if left unchecked, could force earthquakes due to unintentional application of stress on the natural faults.
"Earthquakes from wastewater disposal may be triggered at tens of kilometers from the wellbore, which is a greater range than previously thought," SSA said.
Data from the U.S. Geological Survey showed that there were more than 100 seismic activities with magnitude 3.0 and higher recorded from 2010 to 2013. This is a far cry from the average 20 earthquakes reported to have occurred in the preceding three decades.
Even the calm states such as Kansas, Oklahoma, and Ohio experienced occasional quakes as well. Coincidentally, they are also the states with high number of frackings going on.
Despite the looming danger, mining companies still prefer fracking. Why?
Fracking is an ideal substitute for mining oil and natural gas in places where conventional technologies are ineffective. It's convenient, too, as it can harness huge resources from dense deposits of shale, new supplies of oil and clean-burning natural gas that could beef up any nation's ability to generate electricity.
