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I encountered someone today that firmly believes the unusual increase in seismic activity in Oklahoma is due not from fracking or other man-made activities, but a huge underground mountain chain located under Texas and Oklahoma. Based on my previous encounters with this person, he often feels to the need to rush to the defense of whatever position his "side" stands for regardless of the amount of evidence that disputes this stance.
Am I missing something? I am not even sure why this is a partisan issue. I am not an expert on fracking, but I think I can recognize a correlation when it is blatantly obvious.
Am I missing something? I am not even sure why this is a partisan issue. I am not an expert on fracking, but I think I can recognize a correlation when it is blatantly obvious.
It's unbelievable.
The truth is offensive, especially to those who reject science. Oklahoma isn't exactly the land of enlightenment in 2015.
Man made, but who says fracking is causing it? We have fracking here in Pa but very few, if any, earthquakes. I personally believe they're doing underground digging and carving out tunnels there. Building bunkers, working on an underground transit system, who knows.
Man made, but who says fracking is causing it? We have fracking here in Pa but very few, if any, earthquakes. I personally believe they're doing underground digging and carving out tunnels there. Building bunkers, working on an underground transit system, who knows.
“The Oklahoma Geological Survey announced today the majority of recent earthquakes in central and north-central Oklahoma are likely triggered by the injection of produced water in disposal wells.”
Most, as in nearly all, of the reported earthquakes have occurred in proximity two fault systems: the Humboldt fault system located immediately East of the Nemaha Ridge (running west of but pretty parallel to I-35 from west of OKC on up through Kansas City and thence it is associated with a failed rift system (the name starts with a K but I don't remember the full thing); and the Wilzetta Fault which runs WSW to ENE north of OKC through about Shawnee.
Now there is very little evidence that fracture treatments by themselves have cause significant seismic activity. However, salt water produced along with oil and gas is typically re-injected in deep wells. These wells are permitted to prevent the brine from contaminating Underground Sources of Drinking Water (USDW) which is EPA speak for "all fresh water plus all salt water that is technical feasible to treat so as to be used as drinking water". Until recently no real consideration was given to the possibility that this injection could induce earthquakes by lubricating and or forcing apart both sides of stress fracture systems. It is well known that water injection, under the proper conditions can encourage fault slippage (earthquakes)
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has implemented changes in their permitting process, to address this issue. Basically, they are identifying all requests for permits for SWD that are located within a certain distance from all know earthquake swarms, and all "stressed" fault system, as identified by the Oklahoma Geological Survey. As part of the permit conditions the total allowed injections would be stepped up to the allowed maximums over multiple months. Also, any well that penetrated all the way through the Arbuckle Lime (one of the deepest sedimentary formations in the state), are required to be plugged back so that no connection between the injection formation and the igneous "basement" rocks exists (most recorded earthquakes occur in the igneous basement).
One of the problems with the current idea that "fracking" causes earthquakes is that we in Oklahoma has been "fracking" for the last sixty years (since about 1950). Likewise, the use of SWD wells started even earlier, and we have injected literally 100s of Billions of barrels (a barrel is 42 gallons) in the ground BEFORE seismic activity started to rise.
The reason that this whole thing has become politicized is that certain pro-environment/anti-development groups have adopted "fracking" as a boogeyman which can stand for the any part of a fairly complex system of exploration, drilling, well completion (fracture treating is part of well completion, so when you read somebody call it a drilling technique, you'll know they aren't quite a knowledgeable as they let on) production (this is where the SWD part comes in) transportation, processing, and consumption which altogether makes our way of life possible. Many of these groups and the people who support them self-identify as Democrats (or at least as liberals) while most people who actively support energy development tend Republican (or at least Conservative).
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