US scientists establish link between shale gas extraction and earthquakes - ForumDaily
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US scientists have established a link between shale gas production and earthquakes

The US Geological Survey and the University of Colorado at Boulder conducted the first large-scale national study.

The scientists' work makes it possible to establish a connection between the increase in the number and intensity of earthquakes and the “fracking” with which shale gas is extracted in the central and eastern parts of the United States. In total, during the study, scientists analyzed data on more than 650 earthquakes that occurred between the 1970s and 2014, and found an increase in their number towards the end of this period of time.

According to the study, the timing of earthquakes in areas close to oil and gas production often coincided with the start of intensive fracking. The areas studied by geologists include areas where events occurred in 2011 and 2012, when tremors with magnitudes ranging from 4,7 to 5,6 occurred in the states of Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas and Arkansas.

A team of scientists analyzed data from approximately 180 thousand injection wells. Of these, approximately ten percent were located in Oklahoma and Texas, where the observed earthquakes occurred. The researchers noted that modern technologies of intensive “fracking” lead precisely to large earthquakes, and not to weak tremors. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a method of extracting oil or gas from shale rocks by injecting a high-pressure mixture into underground wells, making it easier to extract the gas or oil.

The injected fluid usually consists of water and chemicals that affect the physics and chemistry of the process of extracting hydrocarbons from the depths, which is a subject of discussion between environmentalists and oil-producing companies due to the frequent concealment by the latter of the chemical composition of the substances used.

Modern “fracking” technology, which involves pumping special liquids into injection wells at high speeds and at high pressure, led to the so-called shale revolution in the United States, which allowed the country to become one of the world leaders in hydrocarbon production.

In the U.S. research earthquake Interestingly
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