Oil and gas companies can influence the number of fracking-related earthquakes they may unintentionally generate by changing the volume of fluids injected during the extraction process, a study by Western seismic expert Gail Atkinson shows.
The volume of material used during fracking is directly related to the rate of induced earthquakes, according to the study newly published in Science, but the volume doesn’t necessarily control the magnitude of the biggest event.
Hydraulic fracturing, also called fracking, entails drilling a vertical shaft into deep shale until it reaches an oil bed, then drilling a horizontal shaft and injecting fluid into the rock to release pockets of entrapped gas. The process has been linked to an increase in seismic activity in some areas.
Atkinson said Fox Creek, Alta., became the “poster child” for study because of a sharp increase in quake activity there after fracking began - with many felt events, including one with a magnitude of 4.4, in June 2016. The area is part of the Duvernay Formation, a geological feature of north-central Alberta rich in shale, oil and gas.
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