Fracking wells possible culprit of Texas Quakes.

m.ksdk.com...

RENO, Texas — The first time the earth shook their home, David and Meredith Hull thought it was a propane tank exploding outside, an odd but rare phenomenon.

Then it happened again. And again and again — more than 30 earthquakes since early November. One tremor tossed David Hull against the refrigerator and Meredith atop the stove.

"It felt like something was under the house literally lifting it up and slamming it back down on its foundation," said David Hull, 60, a retired sheriff's deputy. "The whole house was shaking."

The Hulls are one of dozens of families here and in nearby Azle, about 17 miles northwest of Fort Worth, who say they've been hit with a rash of earthquakes since November. Residents and city leaders point to area oil and gas disposal wells as likely culprits.

I don't know if fracking is the cause or not, but it sure is suspicious to say the least.

a reply to: liejunkie01

Not really much evidence at this point.

Either way, the earthquakes have been relatively small. The business that fracking has created is in my opinion, worth the risk. It has given good paying jobs to many blue collar working men.

a reply to: OrphanApology
At what cost? Jobs are going to be the last thing people think about when the land mass cracks like a cookie hitting the floor.

If as the article states it is pointing to oil and gas disposal wells, it would not be "frac" related. A disposal well takes the millions of gallons of "frac fluids" and well associated wastewater and pumps it into (normally) a well that is dry or no longer financially capable of producing. Ther area of the quakes is surrounded by Barnett Shale drilling so fraccing is a constant. Who knows.... I'm not far and I don't want to get "thrown on my stove", so the dollars can keep rolling in. I recently left working on the finiacial side of the industry, even sold interest in some Disposal Wells which do quite well. It rolls in from everywhere... They have enough and need to stop. Period

a reply to: ArchPlayer

The cracks caused by fracking wouldn't be near the amount needed to crack the earth open like an apocalypse film.

Not a bad idea for melodramatic cinema though.

The only place I could think of where it would be dangerous would be like California where they have that fault line that's ready to slide any day now. Honestly though, it would just be speeding up the inevitable, if anything.

Unless there is undeniable proof, there will be no action. Even if they prove fracking does cause quakes, the companies doing it are not liable because there was no proven evidence to say that fracking causes quakes that would not otherwise happen.

If you let the devil in the door, it is hard to get rid of him.

originally posted by: OrphanApology
a reply to: liejunkie01

Not really much evidence at this point.

Either way, the earthquakes have been relatively small. The business that fracking has created is in my opinion, worth the risk. It has given good paying jobs to many blue collar working men.

I agree with what you say.

We need more good paying jobs.

I have decided that if all else fails, I am chasing an oil job.

I think the Oklahoma earthquakes are also frack related...

If fracking causes earthquakes then why no earthquakes in North Dakota where their fracking like crazy?

originally posted by: Texcin
If fracking causes earthquakes then why no earthquakes in North Dakota where their fracking like crazy?

I don't know, but I suppose they may be doing things differently as much of fracking consists of trade secrets.

Businessweek

The results of research by the U.S. Geological Survey released last year essentially concluded that a sharp rise in seismic activity in the middle of the U.S. was the result of injecting water into deep underground wells. There is also growing concern that gas-drilling in the Netherlands has led to some recent earthquakes.

Bloomberg

A spate of earthquakes across the middle of the U.S. is “almost certainly” man-made, and may be caused by wastewater from oil or gas drilling injected into the ground, U.S. government scientists said in a study.

Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey said that for the three decades until 2000, seismic events in the nation’s midsection averaged 21 a year. They jumped to 50 in 2009, 87 in 2010 and 134 in 2011.

Those statistics, included in the abstract of a research paper to be discussed at the Seismological Society of America conference next week in San Diego, will add pressure on an energy industry already confronting more regulation of the process of hydraulic fracturing.

“Our scientists cite a series of examples for which an uptick in seismic activity is observed in areas where the disposal of wastewater through deep-well injection increased significantly,” David Hayes, the deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior, said in a blog post yesterday, describing research by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey.

The earthquakes were “fairly small,” and rarely caused damage, Hayes said.

He said not all wastewater disposal wells induce earthquakes, and there is no way of knowing if a disposal well will cause a temblor.

Perhaps the wastewater injection is handled differently.

If you haven't seen the docu "Gashole" you really should.

Not a eco-geek, but this is bs.

If you're willing to kill your water wells and those of your neighbor for a CHECK, you're a whore.

a reply to: Elton

yes, the OK quake swarm has been linked to fracking. a quick google search will give you multiple articles discussing this recently.

Texas will ensure that corporate big wigs get fat and happy until fracking has used up every last gallon of water in every lake we have. We get watering restrictions, but they get million upon millions of gallons per day to ruin. Add to that record numbers of small earthquakes, ruined well water, methane in tap water, etc. All in the name of greed.

The greater Metroplex received a crap ton of rain (technical term) and the newspapers reported no improvement to area lake levels. Hard for lakes to recover, even when you get 5 -8 inches of rain in a few days time, if you are constantly feeding millions of gallons to fracking.