Fracking is a technique of hydraulic fracturing used to extract crude petroleum materials. It is believed to contribute to minor earthquakes by weakening rock layers and reducing their structural integrity. Evidence for a direct link between fracking and earthquakes is incomplete, but areas where fracking is practiced have seen an increase in earthquakes. The mechanism by which fracking causes earthquakes is not understood, and some experts insist that there is no relationship between fracking and earthquakes.
Fracking is a slang term used for the technique of hydraulic fracturing, in which liquids are forced into rock layers to create and widen fractures for the purpose of extracting crude petroleum materials such as petroleum and natural gas. Some experts and concerned citizens in areas where fracking is done have said it can cause earthquakes. This controversial practice has not been conclusively linked to seismic activity, but there is some evidence linking fracking and earthquakes. It is not known to what extent fracking contributes to tremors or other seismic events.
Earthquakes are caused by the movement of portions of the earth’s crust. This can cause serious damage by shaking and moving buildings and other structures. Fracking is believed by some, including some experts in geology and seismology, to contribute to or even cause minor earthquakes. Fracking causes fractures in rock layers which can weaken them. These fractures can reduce rock stability and reduce its resistance to movement, particularly around fault lines. This is believed to cause rock layers subjected to fracturing to lose some of their structural integrity and shift or crack even more severely, causing earthquakes.
Evidence for a link between fracking and earthquakes is incomplete, but more than one area where hydraulic fracturing has been practiced has seen an increase in earthquakes. In Arkansas, USA, for example, two injection wells, which are wells used to inject liquids into rock layers as part of the fracturing process, were suspended in early 2011, pending further study, after more than 800 small earthquakes, one of which registered 4.8 on the Richter scale were recorded in the area around the wells.
A similar event near a fracking operation in Britain in 2011 also caused an operation to be halted, pending further study. The increase in earthquakes, most, if not all, of which are classified as microsystems, or very minor tremors, in areas where fracking operations are undertaken is well documented. The mechanism by which fracking could cause these earthquakes is not understood nor has it been conclusively proven that there is such a direct link between fracking and earthquakes.
Many experts believe that fracking and increased earthquakes in areas around large-scale fracking operations are related, but this has yet to be proven. A direct correlation between other human activities and earthquakes is well documented and is a major source of the belief that fracking and earthquakes may be related. Many industry experts and some independent experts insist, however, that there is no relationship between fracking and earthquakes or that if the tremors are a direct result of fracking, that they are minor and not severe enough to be dangerous in the way that many natural earthquakes can be.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
