Does Fracking Cause Earthquakes? | Bang Goes the Theory Series 6 | BBC Studios 

Water and sand? You neglected to mention any of the chemicals also used that eventually end up back in the water table which you definitely don't want in your drinking water.. Or the amount of water it takes.

I am from Pennsylvania, and I can tell you fracking is bad news. I was never sick before the drillers came; I now rely on inhalers to breathe, and my arms and hands are covered in a persistent, painful rash. And I'm not alone. Many suffer health problems after exposure to fracking sites or waste, and asthma and cancer (among other things) are on the rise. Our streams and rivers are being depleted and polluted, and in some areas, wells have been rendered useless from contamination, forcing homeowners to use bottled water for everything. And yet you see very little of this in the news - pro-fracking propaganda is everywhere, as are gag orders to silence the harmed, and politicians who are riding in the pockets of corporations. The threat of earthquakes is just one of many problems a community faces when fracking operations move in. Watch 'Gasland' and 'Gasland 2' to get a better idea of what's going on in these hills, or visit, if you can. Educate yourselves now, before it's too late.

Here in the states, the fracking occurs 2 miles below the water table... Good luck proving it contaminates it.

I wrote a research paper on fracking. I really enjoyed and I still do enjoy learning about it.

"Stop fracking" is easy to say.

Feel sorry for future generations for the remains of earth we are to leave.

I personally dont have a problem with fracking but I think we may be doing it too aggressively. we should slow down so if there are significant side effects, we can catch them as they go

As living with all Geoscientist around i feel i have a better insight. Fracking if uncontrolled could definately leads to earthquakes as even confimed by studies in Oklahoma. I understand now few companies are developing technologies on how to use the fracking data to control earthquakes by optimising fracking pressure so as to not trigger faults. Industry need a make balance between fracking and US economy. without prejudice.

The issues I heard about is water pollution. I have seen videos of people able to light on fire the water coming from the hoses. The gas gets into the water supply.

I'm sorry, but i completely geeked out on that explanation of fracking. I love learning about solutions to difficult problems. It's satisfying some how.

I can't give specific answers to non-specific incidents. I just explained how gas can be found in different layers and not be related to hydraulic fracking. There are two well known examples in PA shown in films that were investigated over 5 years ago by EPA and the Geologic Survey independently. Both found that the gas in well water was not caused by fracking. and that the well water layer was not even close to the hydraulic fracking layers.

Very educational. I use this video as a teaching resource for argumentative writing.

Where is the uncertainty in the 'future for oil'? Surely, if we continue to use oil the way we do, it is going to run out. Soon.

can we hust use hydrogen now? we have extremely easy and safe ways of getting it. it comes from water. it has no emissions,

Fracking has been disastrous in the Dutch province of Groningen. Fracking causes earthquakes, I think that's more than enough reason to not do it.

Stop fracking!!

12/17/22 was just a 5.4 earthquake around Midland, Texas, right around where the fracking is occurring

Although Fracking has some quite detrimental affects on the environment; with the most concerning being the water aquifer contamination. I strongly believe that raising havoc and protesting "Frack Off" isn't helping the cause. Most voters attack the object on the seat instead of analyzing the base of the chair and that will only cause more turmoil rather than helping the cause. The Omega Nat-resource industry such as oil and others have significant power, wealth and influence in the government of each nation they trade with and that government will follow their will. That itself is detrimental to "Clean Earth"; with thousands of lobbyist funding politicians, thats nearly all it takes for a major corporations such as BP to have enough power to influence a government and its Bills being passed, energy efficiency reforms etc. In my personal opinion a politician whom envies a short term position behind a lousy desk over the security of his/her children's' lives on this planet is weak. The current major corporations are ambitiously greedy; they tend to cover up any form of turbulence that may affect their stocks, ranging from highly contagious viruses initializing in their own extracting plants down to aquifer contaminations (as mentioned above the government is always on board and always take measures to minimize exposure). "Shew-ing" them from your backyard will at-best ship them to someone else's. The only way that planet Earth will become the so "Clean Earth" we fantasize is if we are willing to hear each sector's standpoint and understand each other in contrast to pointing fingers and bickering over each other.

OMG 2.3. Not significant. It is important that isolation between ground water and gas shales are confirmed and maintained.

The man who ran the bar at our local social club once worked with a drilling company as a roustabout.He was nicknamed "The Fracking Barsteward"

Great illustration!

If methane "is unlikely" to get to the water table, then why are there homes, near fracking sites, that have flammable tap water? I've seen videos where someone turns on the tap, lights a lighter near it, and fire comes from the tap. And as for earthquakes, there haev been several earthquakes in Texas, again all near fracking sites.

Thanks this was really helpful!! xxx

The biggest objection to fracking is that the toxic gasses released poison the land above it.

I'm against it because of the,quakes, no matter how small they are. Plus, what would happen if we were fracking too much

And at the end of the day it's about money and prices. They need to change that first, they're about it all wrong.

How can this not effect the water supply? Where will the water used in the process come from? If it is fresh water it will certainly effect the water supply - fresh water is in even more short supply than fossil fuels. If it is marine water how will the exctraction effect the delicate marine ecosystems? And what chemicals would be used as additive? Why use any additives at all?

What causes earthquakes is the overabundance of wastewater, and chemicals has to be disposed of so they are allowed to pump it back into the depleted wells at extremely high pressure in an attempt to get rid of it all.

Who knew that, in 2022, this would hit harder than any freight train?

What happens to the gas when the holes are filled with water, how do they get the gas out if it's filled with water?

I've looked up fracking before and all that said was that they just pump water and sand into a hole in the ground. How does anyone think that doing that to rock that's already stressed wont be a problem, especially with sand in the cracks that will let rocks slip a little easier

it should be stopped

They exist because the source of the methane was from another lay not associated with the hyrdraulic fracking. There can be many sources of natural gas in the geologic layers.

Fracking is safe and will bring down the price of gas significantly, how do we know this? - because they have been doing this for some time in the USA and this is what has happened there. What is the alternative, much higher energy prices and energy insecurity - the lights will go out.

ps - if fracking isn't a problem for water, why did the US Energy Bill of 2005 exclude these companies from the Clean Water Act and the Clean Drinking Water Act?

So fracking may cause earthquakes measuring as high as 2.3 on the Richter scale? Big deal.We probably don't feel anything less than magnitude 3; the only reason we know about such quakes is through the use of sensitive seismographic instruments. As for groundwater contamination, the only way that's possible is if the shale deposits are unusually shallow, the aquifers are really deep, or both. How can fracking in shale thousands of feet underground affect groundwater mere hundreds (or even tens) of feet down? Can methane seep through thousands of feet of dense rock?

Fracking is the cause of the homeless crises because the micro surface quakes are destroying the foundations of buildings in a much bigger area as currently thought and admitted by the operators. The vibration also erode shore lines and cause cracks on highways!

Fracking is being postponed because they are causing earthquakes up north

can you link me some evidence please mate, i wanna see both sides of the argument :)

Typo in the description mate. Franking instead of fracking.

That's only ONE part of the #FRACKING process & ONE possible cause for concern. What about the chemicals: used changed by the process left in the ground to possibly seep in to the water table returned to the surface Oh & how much will charges for water increase as a result of the process that creates possible gas price reductions - that will likely NEVER be realised for households.

That sounds dangerouse

Safe? Have you looked into the cases of groundwater contamination this has caused in the US? A number of places have vast underground caverns of water that are used as the water source. You really think they can predict exactly how many miles one may go? Not to get into the excess released gas, where do you think the fracking water goes? Left there to seep in or pumped into evaporation ponds where they emit a wide range of chemicals.

the future of oil is not uncertain. there is more oil and more created every day. natural biproduct of pressure

OK so I was wrong about the % of nitrogen and oxygen. But carbon dioxide is still less than 1% of our atmosphere. 0.039%

Go to Wikipedia and search for "Atmosphere of Earth" and try to learn about the air around us.

But it only started after the fracking started.

Excuse the pun, but it seems we are between a rock and a hard place. We need the gas as an interim energy supply but here in Australia the farmers and some others claim it pollutes the ground water & lowers the water table. And this in one our most arable areas ( we don't have much arable land for the continent's area.

"The problem is that corporations and the governments that they control cannot be trusted. Anyone who is a student of history would agree." If history teaches us something, it is that NOTHING can be trusted. It is hard stance for the human psyche to take, but what alternative to governments has been trustwortthy? Religion? Revolutionaries? And thanks google for removing "reply" button from my view. Nice.

The earth is 6000 years old not billions of years

Tracking is very dangerous solution.

Fracking is *awful*, but so is nuclear power! You're replacing one more obvious environmental catastrophe with a far worse one, just one that won't be felt in the immediate future. We're deferring this problem over and over again. What I think is really needed is a realisation that we over-produce to fuel the systemic waste our economic system depends on. Fix that and we will use FAR less energy. :)

Fracking = Bad

It wasn't a spelling mistake... They were just fracking around.

Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, is not a new technique. It has been used for decades in the oil and gas industry to extract, well oil and gas! We've become so good at it that now we can perform directional drilling to extract shale gas onshore. It was not commercially viable to do this before. This process happens 1000’s of meters below our feet and is surrounded by cap rock, which is impermeable. No cap rock, no gas. This means the “chemicals” can’t escape. Earthquakes can happen but on a scale of being stood next to a very busy road. Undetectable really. The science is there. It’s safe if regulated and safety standards are met. I’d rather extract this gas that’s below our feet than burn coal for our energy. At least until renewables become more commercial and affordable.

Nice for him to admit it is actually causing minor earthquakes, but do not worry folks, crushing the support of harder rock will not result in anything negative.

Frack here in the USA with all the attendant problems, or support oppressive regimes in Russia, Venezuela or the Middle East. American energy independence is coming, and it will change geopolitics. It's a shame we can't do it via the sun, which is free after all.

but its just a little enema to relieve gas.....

Something very wrong in this.

EVERYONE SHOULD SHUT ALL THEIR ELECTRIC DOWN FOREVER THEN YOU WILL HAVE NOTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT.

I live in central Oklahoma and since they have started fracking here the number of small quakes has increased greatly. We have also had a few quakes larger than 3.0 that can be felt, and all have an epicenter near where the fracking has been used the most. This is by no means scientific just observation by one man.

bbc propoganda again

BBC defending Tories once again, the only reason fracking is being considered is because companies can control the prices.

A little natural gas humor this is the name of the SNL skit dont a while ago look it up on here it wont le me post the link

like what guardian reader?

Ah, the good old days of informative, impartial BBC journalism.

When you can set fire to rivers and drinking water coming out of your tap, then we have a problem!

If only we invested in nuclear like France we wouldn't have to worry ourselves with all this!

#MysteryBooms

5.9 so far...

Brexit Broadchesting Corporation 😂

Here in Philippines Mindanao our land is Rich in natural resources,this past 3months a lots of earthquake happening in our area,some people say it's because of fracking activities on some areas here,,latest quake happen Dec,15,2019 6.9 magnitude,,it's been a very devastated event because a lot of lives have been lost,up to now aftershocks is still happening everyday,we are so stress about this event,it feels like every now and then we feel nauseous,,early this morning 4am an 4.5 magnitude happens,some people feel sick because of this event,,

I think it destroys fossils=bad

Whats the matter? Cant handle the truth?

Yeah, what an idea. Bring an earthquake to solve the energy crisis and to boom some business out of the earthquake rehabilitation.

Here is a partial list of the additives used in fracking, like thickeners, anti-bacterials, etc: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-G6N9eSMGyyc.html Also fracking causes earthquakes, many many earthquakes.

What is a serious british mind ? Once you start digging coal you don't stop until there is nothing left. And don't look aroung while at it- it's procrastination. And don't call them stupid, islanders from deadlock closed societies don't stop until there is nothing left. Deep inside, I guess, they probably have soft, warm and well lubed spot for sicilians, because who could be a better, well, soulmates.

I think we should base it on evidence rather than theory. I like continued water supplies and renewable energy, much cheaper in the long term.

Frack it then. Lets bring energy prices down. Or we can listen to green peace lunatics, and hope that the wind blows and the sun shines

Lieeeeeerr

"Me" thane!? Or "meth"ane.....god damned english people! I thought y'all spoke ....well....English!

nice propaganda

I'm so disappointed in Jem, I've normally associated him with being level headed and true to science, however, after seeing this, I'll never support him ever again. It's clear he has allowed himself to be a tool of propaganda.

well, im not going to stand up for corporate greed, but you do realise that the majority of our gas comes from russia? what if they push up the price? P.s. Im fed up of people whining. if you have a better idea, fucking propose it instead of protesting against everything.

Very short Video about Fracking!!!

Fracking maked Earthquakes.

Chemtrailsspraying and Fracking are the biggest humanu DELUSION in the Name of Profit!!!

Very good and important Video!!! Fracking is a very bad and deadly Technology!!!

nice propaganda

nice propaganda