The journal Science published a paper called "Fault activation by hydraulic fracturing in western Canada" which proves that fault lines can be induced into earthquakes through fracturing processes.
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Fracking is injecting waste water deep into the ground to release locked up natural gas. It has been causing natural gas to leak into water tables, making the water undrinkable, yet the fracking companies denied this was their fault. Now we have an increase in earthquakes with a clear causation, and they denied it, along with the mainstream who backed up the industry claims of innocence.
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This study is good news. At first the fracking industry denied, saying there was no "proof" that what they were doing was the reason for increased earthquake activity. But a meeting in Rio, Nevada where over 700 seismologists from 20 countries met in April, no one was denying it. At that time, Gail Atkinson from Western University in London, Ontario said:
"In Western Canada, most of the seismicity we're experiencing is being actually directly related to hydraulic fracturing."
Study research
sourceThe denial from governments as a result of industry pressure seems to be lifting, finally. Many advocates have been championing for reforms to fracking laws so that these environmental problems no longer occur. After years, they finally had their voices heard and the official scientific data shows that the obvious reality was indeed obvious: fracking induces earthquakes, and ruins water tables.
At the conference in April in Reno, was also David Eaton of the University of Calgary, another Canadian presenting new research, which is the research paper I linked to above. The study concluded that:
"... fault activation during and after hydraulic fracturing can be triggered by different mechanisms, including stress changes due to the elastic response of the rockmass to hydraulic fracturing or pore-pressure changes due to fluid diffusion along a permeable fault zone. While stress-related triggering appears to diminish shortly after operations, a fluid-pressurized fault may be susceptible to persistent seismicity for a period of at least several months."
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This picture represents the magnitude in size and color is date range, from northwestern Alberta, Canada for the period 1985−2016.
Canada has been fortunate as to cause less damage due to the remoteness of well locations. In the US, such as in Oklahoma, the fracking is near more populated area.
But the government still doesn't care enough to put a stop to it, only to "mitigate" the damages that the industry causes. After all, to restrict jobs would be a death-knell to their political career. Jobs and money trump reality and doing what is right, for many people on this planet.
To compound their ignorance, the news reports continue with:
"But no one really knows if that will help stop the shaking, and no one even knows whether an end to fracking altogether would be enough to completely stop the earthquakes."
So because we don't know that stopping the fracking would help or not, let's not try! OK? Awesome! Same as before, you can't "prove" the fracking is doing this or that, so you can't make us stop legally. You can't "prove" stopping fracking would be good, so let's keep doing it!
All a crook has to do is deny, deny, deny and act innocent. Never underestimate the power of denial.
Thank you for your time and attention! I appreciate the knowledge reaching more people. Take care. Peace.
References:
- Fault activation by hydraulic fracturing in western Canada
- Do fracking activities cause earthquakes? Seismologists and the state of Oklahoma say yes
- Human-Induced Earthquakes from Deep-Well Injection: A Brief Overview
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2016-12-16, 10am