Gas fracking to start near Blackpool this summer

[stuff_it]

Its not a seismically active area, its most likely the sedimentary layer the gas is in adjusting slightly to the increased pressure. Your shoving loads of water (and frak fluid) into a thin layer of sedimentary deposit which means it will have to expand slightly (thats the whole point) this seems that a bit of that expansion was sudden hence the earth quake


A 2.2 is unlikely to have been felt by humans.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richter_magnitude_scale

You will get a much bigger tremor from a rock burst in a conventional mine they will be at between 4-5 o the richter scale. Most likely you will get similar tremors in the oil and gas fields of the North Sea like Forties, Brent, Piper and so on.

Bit of subsidence never hurt noone, and bottled water is so cheap these days...

Also you are missing out the first rule of UK earthquakes....if it is reported then someone *will* have felt it no matter how infinitesimally small it is.

 

[bendeus]

thread in Cymru/Wales forum when they tried to do it in the Vale a few months ago
http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/th...-Llandow-Vale-of-Glamorgan?highlight=fracking

planning application withdrawn

They've reapplied

 

[strung out]

they found shit loads of gas http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-14990573

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Nice BBC summary there: "Opponents to the process believe it produces damaging carbon emissions."

Yes, that's the only thing people worry about.

 

[mauvais]

Sellafield is decommissioned, and anyway, it's Heysham you've got to worry about (16 miles).

 

[ferrelhadley]

they found shit loads of gas http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-14990573

They claim they found shitloads. There is huge amounts of gas in many of these formations but they are very tight i.e. the gaps in between the sand is very small so the gas does not flow very easily and it requires the rock to be hydraulically fractured and a compound to be injected to hold the fracturing open. This only opens up a small amount of the reseviour to flow rapidly, once that is emptied (in about a year) the flow drops very dramatically. To open a substantial basin such as the Marcellus in the US requires a huge number of rigs drilling (including horozontal drilling and possibly [dont quote me on it] 3D seismo to navigate) this is very expensive, and I mean very. Only the very best patches recoup the investment quickely and with some cash to spare. There is a pretty big question as the economic sustainability of the process over a longer time. Part of it is that when you open a new basin you never need to show a profit as you keep hiring more and more rigs expand the operation. So everyone sees revenue growth leap and money is available. The question is, when growth levels off can you begin to turn a profit or was all the cash flow growth merely investor money coming in?

Not all the geologies are the same so some patches can turn a sustainable profit.

But Id not be putting my pension fund money on this being a sure fire thing.

 

[mauvais]

From Pistonheads:

 

[ferrelhadley]

EPA confirm fracking fluid in drinking water.

The wells also contained benzene at 50 times the level that is considered safe for people, as well as phenols -- another dangerous human carcinogen -- acetone, toluene, naphthalene and traces of diesel fuel.

Nice.