In recent years, several instances of earthquakes have been recorded in Oklahoma. One of the biggest ones occurred in November of 2011 near the city of Prague and its magnitude was recorded at 5.7 on the Richter scale(Eaton). This particular earthquake caused damage to over 200 buildings (State Impact). A few more earthquakes havealso occurred in Oklahoma over the past couple of years, including many in 2013. Scientists who have been studying this recent spate of earthquakes have postulated that the reason for the earthquakes could be because of the wastewater that is being injected into the ground resulting from the production of natural gas and oil. This has worked to create a lot of concern in the people about such production methods, as they can be seen as having these harmful effects on the region.
One of the things to note is that even though scientists believe that the oil and gas production might be causing the earthquakes, they are not entirely sure of the connection. According to the research, it has been found that disposal wells, which are wells use to dispose waste from the oil and drilling operations, such as hydraulic fracturing – which is also known as “fracking” – could be responsible for the recent earthquakes in Oklahoma (Holland). It has been noted that in January 2013, more than ten thousand underground injection wells were active in Oklahoma, with six thousand of them being the kind of wells that are used for enhanced oil recovery. The rest of the four thousand plus wells are used to store the waste that comes out of drilling. These wells are built quite deep under the ground and can be as far below as ten to twenty thousand feet under the ground. Scientists believe that these wells could be having some ...
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...ar that such activities might be halted, resulting in loss of revenues. However, these researches point to a very strong connection between fracking, the wastewater disposal wells and the recent rise in earthquakes. In this respect, it is important for the drillers to make sure that they do not place their disposal wells close to the geological fault lines.Oklahoma should take cues from such states as Ohio and Arkansas and forbid the drillers from making in deep injection wells near the fault lines. Moreover, it is also important for the companies to look for new and better ways of disposing the wastewater. Some suggestions include disposing the wastewater in different types of wells or even taking the water to fluid treatment plants. Even though this might increase the costs for the drilling companies, it would ensure that the area remains safe from earthquakes.
The Long Point Fault is located in Harris County, which covers 83,450 square miles located with in Houston, Teaxas City Limits. Research specifies that there are three sections of the Long Point fault that appear to be active; some sections of the Long Point fault have averaged more than 2 cm per year of vertical offset over the last 20 years. Evidence of the faults concludes it is a natural fault. The reason for activity is not caused by man, even though man’s activities are not helping the issues, but clearly humans are not the initial cause, biological activity can be in fact an adiitional cause for its movement. A brief description of the type of fault and its relationship with the strata and the faults beneath the Houston area, are at depths of 1,000 to 4,000 m. They have been well-defined through the study of well logs and seismic lines. Studies have resuted in assumuptions that some of these subsurface faults penetrate younger sediments at shallower depths, and contain faults that have of set the present land surface to produce recognizable scarps. (Gabrysh)
Earthquakes, by Webster’s dictionary definition, are, “a shaking or trembling of the earth that is volcanic or tectonic in origin.” World Book Encyclopedia reports scientists believe that more than 8,000 earthquakes occur each day without causing damage. A little more than 1,000 each year are strong enough to be felt. Earthquakes occur in the general sense, anywhere on land. Other earthquakes go by different names, such as volcanic eruptions and tsunamis, large tidal wave storms that occur underwater, primarily in the Pacific Ocean.
In 1910 a series of fifty-two earthquakes struck Arizona between September 10th-23rd and it caused much of the Flagstaff residents to flee the area as even strong households cracked and chimneys crumbled. The fifty-two earthquakes were all light-shock earthquakes with magnitudes between 4.0-4.2 that came right after another. If only one earthquake occurred in that timespan then it is likely that only objects would be knocked from shelves but no damage would be done to infrastructure, but the earthquakes happened right after another causing significant slight
Earthquakes in California are certainly not a surprise. What is a surprise is their unpredictability and randomness. Geologists say there is roughly a 50 percent chance that a magnitude 8 or more quake will hit the Los Angeles area sometime over the next 30 years. And, over the past twenty years, the Los Angeles area has witnessed several earthquakes, and in particular, two that were quite devastating; the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, and the January 17, 1994, Northridge Earthquake. Given the certainty that earthquakes will occur, they still seem to come as a surprise, and leave many communities unprepared to deal with their aftermath.
The efficiently burning shale gas reduces carbon emission from electricity production plants, reducing carbon footprints on the environment. However, the process of hydraulic fracturing uses millions of gallons of pressurized liquid, which contains toxic chemicals, and some of this water is left over undealt with. The air near fracking sites is often also polluted and unsafe for nearby community residents. Injecting millions of gallons of water laced with toxic chemicals into the rock thousands of feet deep can cause earthquakes, causing a safety hazards for all nearby areas. Hydraulic Fracturing makes rare natural gases easily attainable, boosting the economy and reducing carbon emissions.
9. Upton, John. "Oil Industry Likely Triggered Big 2011 Oklahoma Earthquake, Scientists Find."Grist. N.p., 27 Mar. 2013. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
There are many potential adverse health impacts caused by the chemicals used at the drilling site, which are later often unintentional released into the environment. These chemicals are hazardous and as Witter et. al. (2008) state “some of the chemicals used in this process are brought to the surface, potentially contaminating soil, air, and water, while some of the chemicals are left underground, potentially subsurface aquifers” (4). This makes it difficult to track which chemicals are causing effects and where they are coming from. Another piece to the puzzle is that the drilling companies do not disclose the full-list of chemicals so there is a great mystery in what chemicals and what concentrations are used in the process (Lauver 2012:383). However, recently there researchers have begun to breakdown the chemical identities and concentrations.
Ever since the process of hydraulic fracturing—or fracking—made its entrance to the oil industry, issues and problems surrounding the process have become a common occurrence. Fracking is the controversial process of horizontal drilling (see fig. 1), where millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals are pumped deep into an oil well to extract natural gas from the earth’s crust (Ehrenberg 20). This practice has even been banned in some places (see fig. 1). The methane that comes out of the earth and the water used—called fracking fluid—has the potential to cause problems with local ground water supplies. Whether or not fracking is the cause of these problems, concern should be observed during the fracking process to reduce the chances of water contamination among residential areas.
benchmark for the future, and integrated investigation into the effects of earthquakes in the U.S.
Before one can see the devastating effects of fracking, one must first understand how fracking works. As previously stated, the main intent of hydro-fracking is to access and harvest natural gas that lies below the surface of the Earth. Having formed over 400 million years ago by the collision of tectonic plates (Marsa 3), the Marcellus Shale plays host to a gold mine of natural gas, which is currently at the center of the fracking debate in the Northeastern region of the United States. Unfortunately, access...
During the period of October 3 to November 28 1935 a series of earthquakes, in the state capital of Helena, causing major damage. On the day of October 18th, a major earthquake was felt in western Montana and parts of Wyoming, Idaho and Canada. That is approximately 596,000 sq. kilometers
It was known as the great Alaska earthquake. On March 27, 1964, an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2 struck the Prince William Sound region of Alaska. This earthquake is the second largest earthquake ever recorded in the world, the first as a magnitude 9.2 in Chile in 1960. In other words, this earthquake released 10 million times more energy than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima Japan. Equally important, this (Abby Lautt) earthquake produced landslides and caused catastrophic damage covering an area of 130,000 square kilometers, which is the entire state of Alaska, parts of Canada and Washington. The earthquake lasted approximately four minutes with eleven substantial after shock occurring over the next 24hrs causing damages in the amount of almost $400,000 and killed 131 people.
Fracking has become a highly controversial and publicized topic due to rising concerns and growing analysis into the mutual benefits of hydraulic fracturing to retrieve natural gas and oil reserves. With concerns of water pollution, mismanagement of toxic waste and irreversible
Numerous reports have been given on the dangerous affects of hydraulic fracturing. One such affect that has been noticed is that drinking water wells near the fracturing sites have been contaminated. During the hydro-fracking process, injected fluids that help to break and keep open the rock bed where the natural gas is kept, have “been known to travel three thousand feet from the well (Goldman).” This fluid could have the potential to enter and contaminate any water well for homes around hydraulic fracturing sites. This incident is one of the major problems that people want to figure out and know about before they allow a fracturing site by them. It has been the most feared outcome of having a fracking site nearby, and it is highly appropriate. One site in Wyoming had this happen, “…in August, EPA reported that eleven of thirty-nine drinking-water wells near a Wyoming hydraulic fracturing operation were contaminated with chemicals used in the fracturing process (Hobson EPA).” In Pennsylvania, another such case occurred, “There have already been severe pollution cases in Pennsylvania, mo...
Earthquakes belong to the class of most disastrous natural hazards. They result in unexpected and tremendous earth movements. These movements results from dissemination of an enormous amount of intense energy in form of seismic waves which are detected by use of seismograms. The impact of earthquakes leaves behind several landmarks including: destruction of property, extensive disruption of services like sewer and water lines, loss of life, and causes instability in both economic and social components of the affected nation (Webcache 2).