Researchers Zero In On How Fracking Can Cause Earthquakes

A new academic study reveals two ways hydraulic fracturing by oil and gas operators can cause earthquakes in Alberta, Canada. Researchers at the University of Calgary's Department of Geoscience have discovered that tremors induced by hydraulic fracturing can occur through pore pressure increases and by stress changes.  The study "Fault Activation by Hydraulic Fracturing" has been published in Science, one of the world's leading peer‑reviewed academic journals.

The study has been described as revealing an "exquisitely detailed picture" of the timing and dynamics of seismic events in an area about 30 kilometers west of the town of Fox Creek, Alberta. The area has recently had small earthquakes which researchers and regulators believe are attributable to extensive hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells in the area.