Largest fracking-related quake: Earthquake in Northern B.C. caused by fracking, says regulator

British Columbia's energy regulator has confirmed that a 4.6 magnitude earthquake in northeast B.C. in August of this year was caused by a nearby fracking operation.

"This seismic event was caused by hydraulic fracturing," said Ken Paulson, CEO of the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission. Paulson said fewer than one per cent of fracking operations trigger seismic activity, and those quakes tend to be low magnitude and cause little damage.

The quake struck in August, about 110 kilometres northwest of Fort St. John, near a gas fracking site operated by Progress Energy.

Hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" is a process that involves pumping a mixture of water, sand and chemicals underground at high pressure to fracture rock and release trapped natural gas.

Studies have linked fracking with earthquakes in the U.K., Oklahoma, and in B.C.

• Largest fracking-related quake

The epicentre of the August quake was three kilometres from the Progress Energy fracking site. The operation shut temporarily immediately after the quake but soon restarted with continued monitoring.

Fracking operations have previously triggered small earthquakes in B.C. 

In the U.S., the disposal of frack waste has triggered larger quakes. But scientists said last summer that the 4.6 magnitude August quake may be the largest in the world caused by hydraulic fracturing.

No one was injured in the earthquake and there was no damage reported, but shaking could be felt for several kilometres.

Experts say it is unlikely any fracking-related earthquakes in the future will cause damage.

"This level of earthquake, although sounds scary, but in terms of the actual seismic damage, magnitude 4.6 is very unlikely to cause significant damage," said Honn Kao, a research scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada.

In a written statement, Progress Energy says it takes the incident very seriously, and is closely monitoring seismic activity near its frack sites.

Meanwhile, B.C.'s energy regulator says it continues to closely monitor seismic activity and B.C.'s gas fields, and that it's still business as usual...
cbc.ca
16/12/15
--

• Magnitude    M 4.3

Region    BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
Date time    2015-08-17 20:15:01.4 UTC
Location    57.08 N ; 122.33 W
Depth    10 km
Distances: 
  860 km NW of Calgary, Canada / pop: 1,019,942 / local time: 14:15:01.4 2015-08-17
685 km NW of Edmonton, Canada / pop: 712,391 / local time: 14:15:01.4 2015-08-17
129 km NW of Fort St. John, Canada / pop: 17,402 / local time: 13:15:01.4 2015-08-17 
-
Related:

• Stanford researchers find oil drilling behind Oklahoma's earthquakes 

• More than 30 earthquakes hit Texas towns after start of fracking 

• University of Colorado Boulder Scientists Link 10,800-Foot-Deep Fracking Wastewater Well to More Than 200 Earthquakes 

• Colorado Regulators Halt Fracking Wastewater Injection Operation After Earthquake Strikes Area For Second Time in One Month

• Οχάιο: 167 σεισμοί σε μη σεισμογενή περιοχή «λόγω λυμάτων από fracking». 

---

•  Επιβεβαιώνεται η σχέση των γεωτρήσεων με σεισμούς....Τρεις μελέτες ενοχοποιούν τα υγρά που διοχετεύουν στο έδαφος για την πρόκληση σεισμικών δονήσεων...

• Fracking water injection could trigger major earthquake, say scientists

• Το fracking δεν προκαλεί σημαντικούς σεισμούς

• Έρευνα: Οι σεισμοί μπορεί να συνδέονται με την άντληση φυσικών υδάτων

• Study links fracking with methane-contaminated drinking water (+2video RT)

 ---