USGS in past has studied connection between fracking, earthquakes in Colorado
Monday's 5.3-magnitude earthquake southwest of Trinidad in southern Colorado is being called rare but “consistent with the region and historic activity in the area,” and so far no official connection is being made to gas drilling -- or hydraulic fracturing -- of relatively shallow coal-bed methane gas reserves in the area.
But such a connection to so-called “fracking” and the disposal of fracking fluid in the local gas fields has been investigated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in the past. A September 2001 swarm of earthquakes prompted a USGS investigation.

“In recent years, a large volume of excess water that is produced in conjunction with coal-bed methane gas production has been returned to the subsurface in fluid disposal wells in the area of the earthquake swarm,” the USGS report reads. “Because of the proximity of these disposal wells to the earthquakes, local residents and officials are concerned that the fluid disposal might have triggered the earthquakes.
“We have evaluated the characteristics of the seismicity using criteria proposed by Davis and Frohlich (1993) as diagnostic of seismicity induced by fluid injection. We conclude that the characteristics of the seismicity and the fluid disposal process do not constitute strong evidence that the seismicity is induced by the fluid disposal, though they do not rule out this possibility.”
In March, Arkansas oil and gas regulators instituted an emergency moratorium on fracking to determine whether injection wells might be behind a swarm of earthquakes in that state. Fracking involves injecting large quantities of water, sand and often undisclosed chemicals into natural gas wells to fracture rock formations and free up more gas. The water is then stored in holding ponds on the surface for re-use in future “frack jobs” and is later re-injected into disposal wells.
In June, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced seven sites for an ongoing retrospective study of the impacts of fracking on drinking water supplies. One of the sites is in the Raton Basin in Las Animas County, Colo., scene of Monday's earthquake.
And Walsenburg, 35 miles from the quake in Huerfano County, in the past has had to issue assurances to its residents that municipal water is safe despite contamination of well water from gas-drilling activities.
13 Comments on "USGS in past has studied connection between fracking, earthquakes in Colorado"
lepetiw688 – Jan. 12, 2023, at 3:42 a.m.
I view something really special in this website . UK FAKE ID
lepetiw688 – Jan. 18, 2023, at 6:36 a.m.
I adore foregathering useful information , this post has got me even more info! . new303
lepetiw688 – Jan. 19, 2023, at 2:11 p.m.
when i am watching action movies, i really love to see bruce willis in it., Энэтхэгийн жуулчны виз
lepetiw688 – Feb. 14, 2023, at 1:02 p.m.
Nice post. I find out something more difficult on different blogs everyday. Most commonly it is stimulating to learn content using their company writers and use a little something from their website. I’d prefer to use some while using the content in my small blog whether you do not mind. Natually I’ll give you a link on your own internet blog. Thank you sharing. merchant sales agent training
lepetiw688 – Feb. 16, 2023, at 8:33 a.m.
i frequent hair salons because i always want to keep my hair in top shape.. สล็อตฝากถอน true wallet เว็บตรง
johnyking – Feb. 22, 2023, at 12:06 p.m.
Nice post! This is a very nice blog that I will definitively come back to more times this year! Thanks for informative post. digital payment agent jobs
lepetiw688 – Feb. 27, 2023, at 3:24 a.m.
my sister ordered sofa beds on the internet, they are quite nice and very comfy to sit in~ 마추자 먹튀
johnyking – Feb. 28, 2023, at 2:31 a.m.
This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing blog that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free. iso vs payment processor
johnyking – March 03, 2023, at 12:19 p.m.
Your blog provided us with valuable information to work with. Each & every tips of your post are awesome. Thanks a lot for sharing. Keep blogging.. มวยเด็ด789
johnyking – March 09, 2023, at 3:51 a.m.
This article gives the light in which we can observe the reality. This is very nice one and gives indepth information. Thanks for this nice article. payment processing jobs
lepetiw688 – March 12, 2023, at 11:42 a.m.
Substantially, the post is really the sweetest on that precious topic. I fit in with your conclusions and will eagerly look forward to your coming updates. Just saying thanks will not just be enough, for the amazing lucidity in your writing. I will at once grab your rss feed to stay abreast of any kind of updates. Genuine work and also much success in your business efforts! cream chargers for sale
johnyking – March 19, 2023, at 1:03 p.m.
I have read a few of the articles on your website now, and I really like your style of blogging. I added it to my favorites blog site list and will be checking back soon. Please check out my site as well and let me know what you think. สล็อต
lepetiw688 – Dec. 28, 2022, at 4:45 a.m.
Wow, suprisingly I never knew this. Keep up with good posts. jaguarqq