Shale drilling suspended after quakes in UK http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2011/jun/01...

Shale drilling suspended after quakes in UK

B Y T H E A S S O C I AT E D P R E S S

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

LONDON — A mining company has

halted drilling for shale gas in England after scientists said two small
earthquakes might be linked to the process, known as “fracking.”
The decision by Cuadrilla Resources Ltd. heightened European
environmentalists’ concerns about a process that has been promoted as an
untapped source of energy, but criticized by opponents as dirty and disruptive.
The British Geological Survey recorded a 1.5 magnitude quake Friday near
Blackpool in northwest England, within 1.2 miles of the gas well. A 2.3
magnitude quake was recorded nearby in April.
The geological survey’s head of seismology, Brian Baptie, said Tuesday that the
two quakes appeared to have “a similar location and mechanism.”
Cuadrilla Resources said it had stopped hydraulic fracturing, or fracking — the
process of extracting gas by pummeling rocks deep underground with
high-pressure water, sand and chemicals — while it studied data from the
quakes and consulted with experts.
“We expect that this analysis and subsequent consultation will take a number
of weeks to conclude and we will decide on appropriate actions after that,” said
chief executive Mark Miller.
It is not the first time fracking has been linked to seismic activity. Scientists are
studying whether more than 1,000 small earthquakes in Arkansas are
connected to shale gas exploration.
A report earlier this year from Britain’s Tyndall Center for Climate Change
Research said shale extraction posed “significant potential risks to human
health and the environment” and called for a moratorium on drilling in Britain
until more was known.
But last week lawmakers said Britain should develop its shale gas resources to
reduce reliance on imported energy supplies. The House of Commons Energy
and Climate Change committee said there was little risk to underground water
aquifers as long as drilling wells were constructed properly.
The Cuadrilla exploration, which began in March, is currently Britain’s only
shale gas project.

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Shale drilling suspended after quakes in UK http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2011/jun/01...

2 of 2 06/07/2011 09:35 PM