3 tiny quakes recorded in Arkansas
This article was published April 12, 2012 at 9:15 a.m.
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Three small quakes on the low end of what commonly can be felt by humans were recorded in north-central Arkansas.
The first, a 2.0-magnitude quake, was centered near Oil Trough and occurred around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A second one near Quitman happened a half hour after the first.
The last was around midnight, also near Quitman. The other two were also a magnitude of 2.0.
Small earthquakes have rattled the region for years now - more than a thousand have been recorded along the fault line that that runs south of Guy to north of Quitman.
Geologists with the Arkansas Geological Survey have said they expect quakes in central Arkansas to continue despite the Oil and Gas Commission's move to shut down natural gas drilling injection wells that were believed to be contributing to the seismic activity.
Comments on: 3 tiny quakes recorded in Arkansas
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NONSHEEPLE says... April 12, 2012 at 10:12 a.m.
"Small earthquakes have rattled the region for years now - more than a thousand have been recorded along the fault line that that runs south of Guy to north of Quitman"
WAY before "Fracking" was ever done here.... then "maybe" that theory is wrong after all....
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lazybar says... April 12, 2012 at 10:49 a.m.
lived on the faultline for 42 years and had quakes all that time.the people that complain about fayetteville shale are usually the ones that are jealous that they didn`t recieve any royality money.
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aimee says... April 12, 2012 at 11:23 a.m.
Just picture the chemicals running down all these fissure into the groundwater... Earthquakes aren't the only danger from fracking...!!!
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lazybar says... April 12, 2012 at 11:38 a.m.
aimmee its just liberal media bs.mostly coming from people who are not benefiting from the project,jealous people.
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megabull says... April 12, 2012 at 12:28 p.m.
Aimee, you must have and agenda.I think people keep confusing Fracking and Injecting.
FRACKING uses chemicals, however thousands of feet below water table levels to release oil/gas. Since fracking started around 1953 no water tables have been effected by Fracking.
INJECTION of old fracking water at much shallower depths has however been related to small quakes and could potentially effect water tables, but if fluids are cleaned of chemicals before Injection then it is unlikely water tables would be harmed. Just dispose of the cleaned fluids away from active fault zones to prevent the minor quakes.
Also, there are companies that clean the fluids and even truck away the cleaned fluids for proper disposal if near a seismic zone.
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HDawg says... April 12, 2012 at 12:44 p.m.
Aimee, the correct phrase would have been, "Just picture the chemicals running UP all these fissures into the ground water." Fracking happens WAY below the water table. But it's a good try. Silver Star for Aimee for effort.
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T6 says... April 12, 2012 at 1:25 p.m.
Hey aimee, You didn't read where the EPA now admits they may have been wrong about claiming a direct link between groundwater contamination and hydraulic fracturing at Pavillion, Wyoming?
Admitting that there are grounds for doubt concerning its earlier report, EPA director Lisa Jackson has agreed to retest groundwater around Pavillion, Wyoming. The agency had planned to rush the report through the peer review stage, apparently as part of an effort to justify national regulation of hydraulic fracking.
Oh, guess where the source of contamination came from?
EPA's own test drilling!!!!
The EPA's out of control. How much damage, has already been done to the oil and gas industry in jobs and economic growth because of the falsified reports on fracking from the EPA
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Jjackk says... April 12, 2012 at 3:47 p.m.
"People near the tiny community of Pavillion praised the December report. Some had complained for years that their well water began to stink of chemicals around the time that drilling and fracking increased in their neighborhood in the early 2000s. They asked the EPA to investigate their water after what they have described as a reluctance to do so by state environmental officials."
Go tell them your spin.
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lazybar says... April 12, 2012 at 4:06 p.m.
jjackk,the epa hired a private firm to comeout and check every water well in my area.none of the wells come back positive for contaminants.7 wells not more than a mile from my house and where they were pumping waste water into the ground is less than 5 miles from my house by the way a crow flys.i remember hearing the quakes rumble when i was a kid.so again you must not draw a royality check or your business has not profitted from fayetteville shale.
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GWayne says... April 12, 2012 at 4:19 p.m.
Wife said she felt something this morn, called me &, was in Jefferson county, even dog and cat looked around. the dining table was rattling as baker rack was also moving! She had no idea these happened till she called me to tell me of this happing in Jefferson county!
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T6 says... April 12, 2012 at 4:59 p.m.
Hey Jjackk( Mr. Meoff)
reuters. com/article/2012/03/09/usa-epa-fracking-idUSL2E8E9ASA20120309
reuters. com/article/2012/03/16/usa-epa-fracking-idUSL2E8EG03620120316
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aimee says... April 13, 2012 at 1:19 a.m.
"Tony Kovscek, an expert on hydraulic fracturing at Stanford University's School of Earth Sciences, said the fracking at the Inglewood Field is occurring so far below the groundwater basin that it's "unlikely the fracture will interact with groundwater." The key to keeping the process safe, Kovscek said, is making sure the wells are properly constructed and that the cement seal is intact.
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"If that isn't done very well, that's when you get the potential for contamination," he said, noting that the 2010 BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico [the Macondo blowout] resulted from a cementing problem.
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"The industry knows what to do to ensure it [a leak] doesn't happen," Kovscek said. "Do they do the test they are supposed to do and be vigilant?"
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reuters. com/article/2012/04/12/idUS179038468720120412
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Do we REALLY want to trust an oil company which continually cuts costs so it can make more profit to be VIGILANT..???? I don't think so..!!!!
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aimee says... April 13, 2012 at 1:28 a.m.
SECRECY LOOPHOLES Could Still Weaken BLM's Tougher Fracking Regs
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"Hundreds of fracking products are available, some created from a single chemical compound, others from a mixture of chemicals. Although the products make up a tiny fraction (sometimes less than 1 percent by volume) of the total fluid injected during fracking, the overall volumes are so high—up to millions of gallons per well—that a single well often requires thousands of gallons of chemicals.
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Those chemicals sometimes include formic acid, which can cause blindness; trimethyl ammonium chloride, which can damage the kidneys and brain, and benzene, which is a known carcinogen.
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A single well can be fracked many times, and fracking is now used for 90 percent of the wells drilled in the United States.
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In December, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency linked fracking to contaminated groundwater in Pavillion, Wyoming. Other scientific studies are underway, but progress has been slow, in part because scientists don't have a complete list of the chemicals they're trying to track.
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The rules drafted by the BLM would require companies to report all the products and individual chemicals used at each well, in addition to the chemical concentrations. But the chemicals would not be matched with the products that they go into. The same is true of Colorado's disclosure laws.
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Colborn says that's a problem, because if someone is exposed to a particular product, it's important to know the specific chemicals found in that product. The information could help doctors make medical decisions, she said, or guide emergency workers in the event of a spill.
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But industry spokespeople say that by keeping the fracking products separate from the individual chemicals they contain, companies can maintain their trade secrets and still allow for public disclosure.
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TRADE SECRETS, my foot..!!!!
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The article continues:
"Drilling companies often contract the fracking process to other companies, so rig workers might "have no idea" what they're dealing with, she said. "If they knew what they were using, they wouldn't go out there without respirators and moon suits."
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My gosh..!!! And we are going to TRUST them with our drinking water..???
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reuters. com/article/2012/02/15/idUS4875576620120215
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Oh, and THANKS, T6...!!! Reuters has some GREAT articles on fracking..!!!!!!
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