Fracking Earthquakes Shake Canada

More reports of drilling related earthquakes have surfaced, this time from our northern neighbor Canada. In past reports, deep injection wells, used to dispose of fracking waste water were the cause. But this time, it’s the fracking itself. Energy Wire reports on a study that links quakes in British Columbia to fracking operations near faults in the Horn River Basin.

The tremors, which shook the basin between 2009 and 2011, caused no damage or injuries, but the probe by the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission into the incidents is sure to draw attention from opponents of fracturing, the process of injecting water, sand and chemicals into shale rock fractures to release trapped oil and gas.

The quakes were minor, between 2.2 and 3.8 on the richter scale, and were the first reported tremors in the area. Fracking operations in Britain last year, also caused small quakes.

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