Arkansas quake swarms rattle nerves, raise questions

[Donger]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/26/us/ark...html?hpt=hp_t3

(CNN) -- Three dozen earthquakes over the past week in central Arkansas shook shelves, rattled nerves and prompted speculation about their cause.

"Are they being being triggered or are they natural? That's something we don't know," Arkansas Geological Survey scientist Scott Ausbrook said Sunday.

The chances of so many temblors in the region in such a short time are "Powerball kind of odds," Ausbrook said. "What was unusual was to have four different areas in the state to be active in the same week."

More than two dozen quakes recorded since Wednesday have been centered north of Morrilton, Arkansas. The strongest, on Wednesday and Thursday nights, had reported magnitudes of 3.5 and 3.4.

"Right now all we've gotten reports of is shaking stuff and rattling shelves, but people are definitely noticing them," Ausbrook said.

Measuring the magnitude of eathquakes

Solving the mystery is important because of suspicion the quakes could be related to natural gas exploration nearby using hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, he said.

"The best probability at this point is they are natural, but we can't rule out the possibility that there may be a relationship," Ausbrook said.

A swarm of hundreds of earthquakes centered near Guy, Arkansas, ended two years ago after state regulators imposed a moratorium on new injection wells in the area.

Two operating injection wells, just outside of the moratorium area, are about 8 miles from some of the quakes. "I can't say at this time there's not a connection, but given the distance from those wells, it would be pretty amazing," Ausbrook said.

One natural explanation would be a fault running through the area that makes a sharp turn, where "you would expect more strain to accumulate," Ausbrook said.

[Chiefshrink]

In the last days there will be.............

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by Donger

We **** with it all the time.

So you’re admitting we have an earthquake ray gun that triggers these things.
I knew it.

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by L.A. Chieffan

lol, yeah, everybody that lives near it. hahaha

You would figure someone prone to big earthquakes would know about on of the largest ever.

[Predarat]

[CleveSteve]

From last year:

usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/story/2012-03-09/fracking-gas-drilling-earthquakes/53435232/1

Ohio: Fracking waste tied to earthquakes
By Julie Carr Smyth, Associated Press Updated 3/9/2012 4:07 PM
Comments

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A dozen earthquakes in northeastern Ohio were almost certainly induced by injection of gas-drilling wastewater into the earth, Ohio oil and gas regulators said Friday as they announced a series of tough new regulations for drillers.

By Amy Sancetta, AP
Against Youngstown, Ohio's skyline, a brine injection well owned by Northstar Disposal Services that uses fracking is seen on Jan. 4, 2011. Well operations were halted after a series of earthquakes.

Among the new regulations: Well operators must submit more comprehensive geological data when requesting a drill site, and the chemical makeup of all drilling wastewater must be tracked electronically.

Northeastern Ohio and large parts of adjacent states sit atop the Marcellus Shale geological formation, which contains vast reserves of natural gas that energy companies are rushing to drill using a process known as hydraulic fracturing.

In a release today, the state Department of Natural Resources announced the "new environmentally responsible standards for transporting and disposing of brine, a by-product of oil and natural gas hydraulic fracturing" because of the report's findings on the well in Youngstown.

Hydraulic fracturing or fracking involves freeing the gas by injecting water into the earth, but that water needs to be disposed of when companies are done with it. Municipal water treatment plants aren't designed to remove some of the contaminants found in the wastewater, including radioactive elements. A common practice is to re-inject it into the ground, a practice banned in some states.

The report's findings, the Ohio regulator said, show the earthquakes were based on "a number of coincidental circumstances," not just a direct link to the brine disposal. For one, investigators said, the well began operations just three months ahead of the first quake.

They also noted that the seismic activity was clustered around the well bore, and reported that a fault has since been identified in the Precambrian basement rock where water was being injected.

"Geologists believe it is very difficult for all conditions to be met to induce seismic events," the report states. "In fact, all the evidence indicates that properly located … injection wells will not cause earthquakes."

The improper placement of the Youngstown well stemmed in part from inadequate geological data being available to regulators, the report states. New rules would require a complete roll of geophysical logs to be submitted to the state.

"These logs were not available to inform regulators of the possible issues in geologic formations prior to well operation," the document says.

Requiring well operators to submit more comprehensive geologic data is just one of the added regulations the department will either impose immediately or pursue through legislative or rule changes.

Among other changes:
— Future injection into Precambrian rock will be banned, and existing wells penetrating the formation will be plugged.
— State-of-the-art pressure and volume monitoring will be required, including automatic shut-off systems.
— Electronic tracking systems will be required that identify the makeup of all drilling wastewater fluids entering the state.
"Ohio has developed a new set of regulatory standards that positions the state as a national leader in safe and environmentally responsible brine disposal," Natural Resources Director James Zehringer said in a prepared statement.

"Ohioans demand smart environmental safeguards that protect our environment and promote public health. These new standards accomplish that goal," he said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave Ohio regulatory authority over its deep well injection program in 1983, deeming that its state regulations met or exceeded federal standards. The new regulations would be added to those existing rules.
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FTR, Ohio has a Republican governor, who is in charge of the regulatory personnel.

[ptlyon]

The Frack Attack is back Jack

[L.A. Chieffan]

Originally Posted by Valiant

You would figure someone prone to big earthquakes would know about on of the largest ever.

you would think huh? but just ask them