Post: #1

A rash of earthquakes in the middle of the country appears to be related to oil and gas drilling, according to a group of researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey.

"A remarkable increase in the rate of [magnitude-3.0] and greater earthquakes is currently in progress," the scientists state in the abstract for their study. "A naturally-occurring rate change of this magnitude is unprecedented outside of volcanic settings or in the absence of a main shock."

The surge in temblors is "almost certainly man-made," they found, and all of the potential causes they explore in the paper relate to drilling, or more specifically, deep underground injection of drilling waste.

Casting the quakes as a trend could make it more difficult for oil and gas companies and state regulators to discount the earthquakes related to drilling as rare, isolated events. That, in turn, could provide new ammunition to critics who want stronger regulations, or even a ban on drilling.

The group of scientists, led by geophysicist William Ellsworth, is to present the paper next month at the annual meeting of the Seismological Society of America in San Diego. The abstract for their study has already been posted.

The study found that the frequency of earthquakes started rising in 2001 across a broad swath of the country between Alabama and Montana. In 2009, there were 50 earthquakes greater than magnitude-3.0, the abstract states, then 87 quakes in 2010. The 134 earthquakes in the zone last year is a sixfold increase over 20th century levels.

The surge in the last few years corresponds to a nationwide surge in shale drilling, which requires disposal of millions of gallons of wastewater for each well. According to the federal Energy Information Administration, shale gas production grew, on average, nearly 50 percent a year from 2006 to 2010.

"This is very peculiar, what's going on," Ellsworth said in an interview with EnergyWire.

But there are disagreements about whether some of the events were triggered by activity related to drilling. And the abstract states, "It remains to be determined how they are related to either changes in extraction methodologies or the rate of oil and gas production."

The abstract states that a "modest" increase in quake activity near the Colorado-New Mexico border starting about 10 years ago was "due to" increased seismicity in a nearby coalbed methane field in the Raton Basin.

That contradicts a USGS report that said "we do not have any firm evidence of a direct relationship between the fluid disposal and the earthquake swarm." But Ellsworth said that conclusion is dated.

"The 2002 report was very cautious," he said. "Our report is based on another 10 years of data."

More recently, the study abstract says, another spate of tremors that began in 2009 "appears to involve a combination of source regions of oil and gas production." That combination includes a "swarm" of earthquakes in north-central Arkansas tied to underground injection of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing (Greenwire, June 22, 2011), along with other tremors in central and southern Oklahoma.

In Oklahoma, the rate of earthquakes greater than magnitude 3.0 "abruptly increased" from an average of 1.2 quakes a year for the previous half-century to more than 25 in 2009. But a study by the Oklahoma Geological Survey released earlier in 2011 found that most of the state's seismic activity did not appear to be tied to injection wells, although it said more investigation was needed.

In their study, the USGS scientists did not include a magnitude-4.0 earthquake in January in Youngstown, Ohio, that scientists have linked to underground injection of fracturing wastewater, or a magnitude-5.6 earthquake near Oklahoma City in November.

But another paper to be presented at the San Diego conference by University of Memphis seismologist Stephen Horton concludes that the November quake was "possibly triggered" by nearby waste injection wells.

There are 181 injection wells in the Oklahoma county where the November earthquake happened. But Ellsworth said researchers are also looking at "enhanced oil recovery" wells where oil and water are withdrawn.

"We don't know exactly what's going on, whether it's related to injection or withdrawal," he said. "We don't understand why it went up so quickly in Oklahoma, where recovery has been used for years."....

http://www.eenews.net/public/energywire/2012/03/29/1

Post: #2

We be getting Fracked!

~"The Natural Law will prevail regardless of man-made laws, tribunals,
and governments."~
-- Traditional Circle of Elders, NAVAJO-HOPI
~ fidem serva ~

My Werksite= http://brewstar58.weebly.com/index.html

Post: #3

LoP Guest  Wrote:

A rash of earthquakes in the middle of the country appears to be related to oil and gas drilling, according to a group of researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey.

"A remarkable increase in the rate of [magnitude-3.0] and greater earthquakes is currently in progress," the scientists state in the abstract for their study. "A naturally-occurring rate change of this magnitude is unprecedented outside of volcanic settings or in the absence of a main shock."

The surge in temblors is "almost certainly man-made," they found, and all of the potential causes they explore in the paper relate to drilling, or more specifically, deep underground injection of drilling waste.

Casting the quakes as a trend could make it more difficult for oil and gas companies and state regulators to discount the earthquakes related to drilling as rare, isolated events. That, in turn, could provide new ammunition to critics who want stronger regulations, or even a ban on drilling.

The group of scientists, led by geophysicist William Ellsworth, is to present the paper next month at the annual meeting of the Seismological Society of America in San Diego. The abstract for their study has already been posted.

The study found that the frequency of earthquakes started rising in 2001 across a broad swath of the country between Alabama and Montana. In 2009, there were 50 earthquakes greater than magnitude-3.0, the abstract states, then 87 quakes in 2010. The 134 earthquakes in the zone last year is a sixfold increase over 20th century levels.

The surge in the last few years corresponds to a nationwide surge in shale drilling, which requires disposal of millions of gallons of wastewater for each well. According to the federal Energy Information Administration, shale gas production grew, on average, nearly 50 percent a year from 2006 to 2010.

"This is very peculiar, what's going on," Ellsworth said in an interview with EnergyWire.

But there are disagreements about whether some of the events were triggered by activity related to drilling. And the abstract states, "It remains to be determined how they are related to either changes in extraction methodologies or the rate of oil and gas production."

The abstract states that a "modest" increase in quake activity near the Colorado-New Mexico border starting about 10 years ago was "due to" increased seismicity in a nearby coalbed methane field in the Raton Basin.

That contradicts a USGS report that said "we do not have any firm evidence of a direct relationship between the fluid disposal and the earthquake swarm." But Ellsworth said that conclusion is dated.

"The 2002 report was very cautious," he said. "Our report is based on another 10 years of data."

More recently, the study abstract says, another spate of tremors that began in 2009 "appears to involve a combination of source regions of oil and gas production." That combination includes a "swarm" of earthquakes in north-central Arkansas tied to underground injection of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing (Greenwire, June 22, 2011), along with other tremors in central and southern Oklahoma.

In Oklahoma, the rate of earthquakes greater than magnitude 3.0 "abruptly increased" from an average of 1.2 quakes a year for the previous half-century to more than 25 in 2009. But a study by the Oklahoma Geological Survey released earlier in 2011 found that most of the state's seismic activity did not appear to be tied to injection wells, although it said more investigation was needed.

In their study, the USGS scientists did not include a magnitude-4.0 earthquake in January in Youngstown, Ohio, that scientists have linked to underground injection of fracturing wastewater, or a magnitude-5.6 earthquake near Oklahoma City in November.

But another paper to be presented at the San Diego conference by University of Memphis seismologist Stephen Horton concludes that the November quake was "possibly triggered" by nearby waste injection wells.

There are 181 injection wells in the Oklahoma county where the November earthquake happened. But Ellsworth said researchers are also looking at "enhanced oil recovery" wells where oil and water are withdrawn.

"We don't know exactly what's going on, whether it's related to injection or withdrawal," he said. "We don't understand why it went up so quickly in Oklahoma, where recovery has been used for years."....

http://www.eenews.net/public/energywire/2012/03/29/1

Post: #4

..uh huh..
..progress...relax, everyone...we should all be thankful for the pollution and destruction of the planet..then we can be really progressive, ..with no fresh, breathable air..or drinkable water..living underground and using gas masks to breathe...sound like progress?...

Post: #5

Not only is it seismically reckless, it also brings transient riff-raff in and up goes the crime rate.

Anything for $$$$$$$$$$$$$

Post: #6

maybe, maybe not. those people lie, they're the govt.

Post: #7

KeLiy  Wrote:

maybe, maybe not. those people lie, they're the govt.

..we all lie..if you don't ...well, more power to you..
..what I don't get is, why are these people, who want my vote, ignoring this issue..?
..do they believe that if it is not spoken of..it will 'go away'?....I can't see how it is such a 'non-issue' when so many millions of peoples lives depend on the outcomes...

Post: #8

Post: #9

KeLiy  Wrote:

maybe, maybe not. those people lie, they're the govt.

Why would these people lie? They make anywhere from half to even
a tenth of what the oil and gas industry would pay them doing a job
that they love.

Do you know any geologists?

Post: #10

MIT Scientist  Wrote:

It was rumored back in the early 70s that they were disposing of Oak Ridge radioactive waste in Wisconsin using this method. Maybe the explosions are miniature atomic explosions after the waste has conglomerated into fissionable masses over the years. My father was afraid that would happen.

http://lunaticoutpost.com/Topic-Fracking...Vindicator

Post: #11

This story is as silly as the 1.5 EQ causing booms in Clintonville, WI.

What happens when the EQ's get stronger and more frequent in this area? Will they tell the oil companies to stop fracking?

In my veiw they're attempting to proffer a scapegoat, taking science down another notch in credibility.

Post: #12

DrPostman  Wrote:

KeLiy  Wrote:

maybe, maybe not. those people lie, they're the govt.

Why would these people lie? They make anywhere from half to even
a tenth of what the oil and gas industry would pay them doing a job
that they love.

Do you know any geologists?


link to image: http://imgupld.lunaticoutpost.com/graphi...77261D.jpg

Because everyone has an agenda. And to further that agenda there are countless reasons why they would lie.

Post: #13

KeLiy  Wrote:

maybe, maybe not. those people lie, they're the govt.

some folks lie no matter WHAT job or position they have, Gov related work or not. Not all Gov workers lie. Most Geologists even in the USGS I know are hella honest folks

Post: #14

LoP Guest  Wrote:

DrPostman  Wrote:

KeLiy  Wrote:

maybe, maybe not. those people lie, they're the govt.

Why would these people lie? They make anywhere from half to even
a tenth of what the oil and gas industry would pay them doing a job
that they love.

Do you know any geologists?


link to image: http://imgupld.lunaticoutpost.com/graphi...77261D.jpg

Because everyone has an agenda. And to further that agenda there are countless reasons why they would lie.

some folks agenda is to find answers as best they can, others is to find the truth.

Post: #15

I gotta be honest here, this smells of a psyop. Here me out.
"They" are aware of the growing reports of booms and sounds.
"They" notice the proliferation of stories and videos.
"They" also know that fracking is a huge issue with the alt crowd.
So it just makes sense to me from a tactical point of view to combine two unrelated topics into a new hybrid topic, giving us just one more ever twisting path to nowhere to follow....