Tremors due to fracking

[senorgregster]

https://news.sky.com/story/cuadrill...29-magnitude-tremor-at-fracking-site-11794594
@Organic Potatoes
Saw this news article and it reminded me of a discussion a few of us had a few years back in the 2016 election thread. What is your take?

 

[Organic Potatoes]

Small tremors are inherent to that process: that's how they measure them after all. Endemic seismic activity is more likely to be related to mass wastewater disposal, as in Oklahoma - now the most seismicaly active state in the lower 48.

 

[VeevaVee]

Probably gonna awaken Godzilla

 

[Fluctuation0161]

Lancashire council voted to not have fracking in their county. The (Tory) central government overruled. I think its obvious who is making money out of this ultimately pointless fracking exercise.

Its non renewable, short term profiteering which has the potential to cause long term environmental damage. Ridiculous.

 

[Red Defence]

Just checked the BGS site and there were 17 small tremors listed for around the British Isles over the last 50 days.

However if you select Recent Induced Seismicity there are 108 small tremors listed, all for that fracking area over the last 50 days.

https://earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk/induced/recent_uk_events.html

 

[senorgregster]

Small tremors are inherent to that process: that's how they measure them after all. Endemic seismic activity is more likely to be related to mass wastewater disposal, as in Oklahoma - now the most seismicaly active state in the lower 48.

Do you think it is anything to worry about in the UK?

 

[Organic Potatoes]

Do you think it is anything to worry about in the UK?

No, I don’t think the political climate will allow it to get far enough in the UK. Modern petroleum extraction is more akin to a giant mining operation than the prototypical drilling of a gushing oil well atop a hill. It will never fly in Western Europe like it has in North Dakota, the coal starved hills of West Virginia, or the wastelands of West Texas/SE New Mexico.

If you mean would it be something to worry about if it actually happened, then yes. Though not necessarily for the reasons you’d suspect initially.

 

[senorgregster]

No, I don’t think the political climate will allow it to get far enough in the UK. Modern petroleum extraction is more akin to a giant mining operation than the prototypical drilling of a gushing oil well atop a hill. It will never fly in Western Europe like it has in North Dakota, the coal starved hills of West Virginia, or the wastelands of West Texas/SE New Mexico.

If you mean would it be something to worry about if it actually happened, then yes. Though not necessarily for the reasons you’d suspect initially.

Thanks