Is drilling waste to blame for unusual seismic? Back to Blog
Is drilling waste to blame for unusual seismic in Johnson County, Texas and other areas of the Country? A team of federal scientists recently concluded that it is possible waste being pumped deep underground from the oil & gas industry may have led to recent quakes. Not everyone agrees with the scientists’ finding, but rather that these recent quakes are more natural in nature. The federal experts believe that deep injections of waste water mixed with chemicals may lead to certain tectonic plate movement which may result in quakes felt on the surface, including a 5.6 magnitude quake in Oklahoma in 2011. It is interesting that a series of minor recent tremors have been measured in Johnson County, Texas in the immediate area of Barnett Shale waste frac water injection stations. However, industry scientists continue to believe that this experience is not new but rather a continuation of quake activity which has occurred over number of years along natural geologic fault lines. The argument is likely to continue for some time.