Study Ties Oil, Gas Production to Midwest Quakes

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: ABC News

Oil and gas production may explain a sharp increase in small earthquakes in the nation's midsection, a new study from the U.S. Geological Survey suggests.

The rate has jumped six-fold from the late 20th century through last year, the team reports, and the changes are "almost certainly man-made."

Outside experts were split in their opinions about the report, which is not yet published but is due to be presented at a meeting later this month.

The study said a relatively mild increase starting in 2001 comes from increased quake activity in a methane production area along the state line between Colorado and New Mexico. The increase began about the time that methane production began there, so there's a "clear possibility" of a link, says lead author William Ellsworth of the USGS.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/study-ties-oil-gas-production-midwest-quakes-16090702#.T4CTkajaKSo

---

Graph from the statistician 'Tamino', who does excellent work on Global Warming on his blog 'Open Mind':

What really surprised me about the news report, and gave me a distinct feeling of deja vu, was not the dramatic (truly!) increase in earthquakes or its attribution to human activity. It was what the Oklahoma state seismologist had to say. I already expected him to cast doubt on the findings for political rather than scientific reasons, because Oklahoma is so deeply involved with the fossil fuel industry. What amazed me was how he attempted to do so:

Austin Holland, the Oklahoma state seismologist, said the new work presents an “interesting hypothesis” but that the increase in earthquake rates could simply be the result of natural processes.

Holland said clusters of quakes can occur naturally, and that scientists do not yet fully understand the natural cycles of seismic activity in the central United States. Comprehensive earthquake records for the region go back only a few decades, he said, while natural cycles stretch for tens of thousands of years. So too little is known to rule out natural processes for causing the increase, he said.

Does that sound familiar?

http://tamino.wordpress.com/2012/04/07/deja-vu/

[truedelphi]

1. From what I am reading - the earth is now

Experiencing six times as many earthquakes as a hundred years ago.

I am sure some of the increased activity is due to things like so much of the glacier ice melting. But other activity surely is caused by the drilling and fracking procedures.

Of course, since we live in such a scientific age - you better believe that Industry will demand that all the research data over the next forty years is carefully collected and collated. Before Industry will accept that fact.

And of course, by then it will be too late.

Citation: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/04/middle-america-is-experiencing-a-massive-increase-in-30-earthquakes/255568/

[appleannie1]

2. Ohio Earthquake Likely Caused by Fracking Wastewater

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=ohio-earthquake-likely-caused-by-fracking

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A dozen earthquakes in northeastern Ohio were almost certainly induced by injection of gas-drilling wastewater into the earth, Ohio oil and gas regulators said Friday as they announced a series of tough new regulations for drillers.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/story/2012-03-09/fracking-gas-drilling-earthquakes/53435232/1

[Moostache]

3. Of course its familiar...

Tobacco does not CONCLUSIVELY cause cancer...
CO2 emissions do not CONCLUSIVELY cause climate change...
Evolution cannot CONCLUSIVELY show man evolved from a common ape ancestor...
Tax cuts cannot be shown CONCLUSIVELY to not stimulate the economy...

Any time there is a fact-based claim that shows something the right wing finds distasteful, its just more of the same argument...simply rearrange the words and you have a ready made stump speech or floor address to Congress or opinion piece in a right wing rag or talking head on Faux Noise....

The whole thing disgusts me.

[RKP5637]

4. Agree so much with you! "The whole thing disgusts me." I'm sooo fed up with

this crap over and over and it's always the same formula as you pointed out.

[dkf]

5. If they are small earthquakes is there a problem?

We get those all the time.

[fasttense]

10. A small earthquake woke me up out of a sound sleep

It wasn't even in my state. It was in the state next to us. The earthquake was only a 4.4. I jumped out of bed and ran out of the bedroom before I even woke up. It was the 5th small earth quake we had had in 2 months.

We ended up with huge cracks in our foundation and basement and one cracked window. It was only a 4.4 a state over.

But really, what's not to love about frequent small earthquakes?

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. A follow-up post talks about the distribution by strength

http://tamino.wordpress.com/2012/04/07/gutenberg-richter/

Summary: the frequency of quakes at higher magnitude looks as though it has gone up in line with the overall numbers, though, since you can't expect very many strong ones in the short recent period, that's not certain.

[Quantess]

6. Awesome!

I love earthquakes. Who doesn't?

[Gibby]

7. "D'oh." _ Mom

"Treat your mom like shit, and she gets sick. This is a fundamental truth that Republicon-minded corporations choose to remain stupid about. Well, stupid is as stupid does." - Mom

[Air Marshal8]

8. I'll gladly take an occasional small earthquake instead of $10 a gallon gas!

It's a lot of hysteria over nothing...
shrug

[fasttense]

11. How does NOT having frequent small earthquakes

increase the price of gasoline?

In 2000, there were fewer small earthquakes and I could buy a gallon of gas for 99 cents.

[Air Marshal8]

12. I'm sorry, I don't get the joke.

[fasttense]

19. It is NOT a joke.

I don't understand your logic.

How does NOT having frequent mild earthquakes raise the price of gasoline to $10?

We didn't have frequent mild earthquakes in 2000 and yet gasoline was very cheap (comparatively).

How are the two things, cheap gas and frequent mild earthquakes, related?

[Air Marshal8]

25. I tried to explain that they are not. Take it up with the OP who seems to think otherwise.

[peacebird]

13. I prefer the water from my tap not catch fire. And more expensive gas will only speed up

Research into alternative fuels and technologies. Fracking is a bad deal all around. Ask the communities whose well water has become too contaminated to drink.

[mwdem]

14. This is not from oil drilling.

It's from drilling for natural gas.

[Air Marshal8]

17. Most gas wells are serendipity from a drill for petroleum. If there's not much oil, there is often

enough CH4 to be useful. Not many holes are poked in the ground -exclusively- to find natural gas but in any case it isn't relevant ... to anything. You are probably thinking of hydrofracturing "fracking" which has been done for well over 50 years in places that have yet had zero earthquakes. I believe in global climate change because I see the evidence, I am far from convinced that drilling 6 inch holes in the ground causes anything to worry about.

[mwdem]

20. Fracking has been done extensively in Cleburne, Tx.

for years, and they're starting to have earthquakes. This is an area that has no history of quakes before. There is a gas well within a mile of my home, so I've done my research, and I know what fracking is.

[Air Marshal8]

23. I do not doubt your experience but I will tell you very honestly that I worked with my dad who

was a pioneer in 'fracking' technology (before that we just dropped vials of nitroglycerine down the hole and let it blow open the downhole formation) in southern Illinois (Marion and Jefferson counties) more than 45 years ago and there have been zero earthquakes in that part of the world. I don't think there is enough data to make a conclusion, but I do realize that people want instant results these days.

[mwdem]

27. i do know that Haliburton contributes mightily

to the chemicals they now use. Most of them are not even known of. I have seen more than one Haliburton tanker in my neighborhood. Check out the documentary "Gasland". That will tell you how instant the results are wanted these days.

[NickB79]

18. Cheaper gas now, civilization-crushing global warming in 20-30 years

Ah well, who gives a damn about our children's future, right?

[Air Marshal8]

24. Indeed...let's just shut off the supply of gasoline and hope they will thank us.

[NickB79]

28. You really don't appreciate the danger we've placed future generations in, do you? nt

[Air Marshal8]

29. Everything we do creates dangers for descendants. There is no perfect safety for humans.

I thought that was common knowledge.

[Warren DeMontague]

33. In other news, Crack Addict will gladly burn down own house, instead of paying more for crack.

Continues to insist that solution to crack problem is an endlessly flowing river of cheap crack.

[Uncle Joe]

9. I thought this might be the case.

http://upload.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7827585#7828103


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7837941#7838426

Thanks for the thread, muriel.

[happerbolic]

16. used to wonder if the cavitation...

... left by the bp / gulf oil release, with all that enourmous weight of water above, would increase the chance of a major one down near the gulf states to be felt. if anything, i know it's increased the potential of occurrence down there for yrs. to come. This disaster had the deleterious effect of not being pressure equated with that 'mud' fill they would have to replace a cavity with in other off-shore rigs.

So many factors come into play that are unique to every stress increased locality i suppose, like major snags (opposing strike planes, obstructing batholiths, etc.), or a stretched-out network stress relief points spread great distances away from the stressor.

Living in Southern California, I'm grateful every time I feel minor tremors taking place (usu. feel many too - must be where my apartment sits), because it's (mostly) built-up tension being released gradually. it's when their frequency slows or disappear for a while, is when i get to worrying a bit.

Sometimes, I'm sure though, this release can produce a greater contrasting load or twist further up or perpendicular out along the chain. lot's of large granite intrusions to snag up upon underfoot in my state.

[Beartracks]

21. Similar data must be found in non-fossil-fuel areas.

If you're going to hypothesize that fossil fuel extraction is not linked to the dramatic increase in seismic activity, then you would need to find areas where such a dramatic increase has occurred but where there has been no fossil fuel extraction.

======================

[bananas]

22. And this increases the probability of a nuclear meltdown. nt

[Air Marshal8]

26. Not to mention the virtual certainty that a large asteroid will fall on Philadelphia.

We're in for some serious asskikkin

[Uncle Joe]

30. Do you have a link depicting a cause/effect relationship between an earthquake and an asteroid

striking the Earth?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4874592

3 nuclear reactors melted down after quake, Japan confirms
Source: CNN

Tokyo (CNN) -- Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant experienced full meltdowns at three reactors in the wake of an earthquake and tsunami in March, the country's Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters said Monday.

(snip)

Reactors 1, 2 and 3 experienced a full meltdown, it said.

[Air Marshal8]

31. No, there is no cause and effect. I didn't even claim there was.

[Uncle Joe]

32. I had the impression you were diminishing bananas' point by equating something within our limited

control to affect or change to something out of our reach, at least at this time.

22. And this increases the probability of a nuclear meltdown. nt

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
26. Not to mention the virtual certainty that a large asteroid will fall on Philadelphia.

We're in for some serious asskikkin

The OP study makes at least a potential connection between oil/gas drilling and fracking with earthquakes and earthquakes have as bananas points out do increase the potential for nuclear meltdown.