how do we answer the question about all the minor earthquakes that we seem to be having since the fracking began?
That's a reasonable question. Hopefully some serious scientist is tracking and studying the phenomenon
I'd say it's a choice we get to make; a bunch of small earthquakes, or one huge one.
That's a choice mankind has never had during the entire course of history.
You probably had them before. They just weren't reported in the news because so few were aware of them.
In Oklahoma, for example, the current earthquakes being reported are often compared to the "record quakes" that were recorded in the fifties.
I lived in Oklahoma in the fifties and a.) I don't recall ever experiencing an earthquake and b.) I don't recall any of these "record 'quakes" being widely reported.
Those earthquakes are not caused by explosive fracturing but by injecting waste water into the ground. That lubricates faults, causing them to slip.
This may be allowing fault relief in small increments, avoiding large quakes down the line.
I just laugh at the anti-energy people now.
90% of all new wells in the USA are explosively fractured.
I just tell them the above fact and tell them, “People, including you, aren’t going to pay 40% extra to heat their homes by importing energy from other countries. So holler all you want.”
“And ride your bike more. It’s seat, tires, tubes, cable shielding, handlebar grips, brake pads, decorative decals and lubrication substances are all made from oil.”
if it’s true that fracking produces minor earthquakes that would be a benefit. because minor earthquakes would release the amount of stress in a fault that would produce a major earthquake.