Okay, this one had to hurt.
They had a 4.1M quake back in January. There are several injection wells around there and there have been quite a few quakes in that area. There should be some maps posted at one of those links.
Oh, btw…
Study: Eagle Ford Texas Earthquakes Linked to Fracking
According to the comments there was just another quake, 4.3 this time.
Update: There is not much news about these quakes. I hope some news channel will visit people in who live in the area to see the extent of damage to homes.
WFAA: Two earthquakes rattle East Texas (picture of damage to convenience store)
4.1 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles East Texas
The depth of the quake was 5.1 km or 3.1 miles down.
That registers as one of the strongest earthquakes ever to hit the state of Texas.
Two earthquakes recorded near East Texas town.
Timpson police received reports of dishes and pictures falling from walls after the first quake. The sheriff’s office had no reports of damage following the second earthquake.
UPDATE: Experts suggest various causes for earthquakes in East Texas
by Kevin Reece / KHOU 11 News
About Sharon Wilson
Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.
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Sharon…there was another earthquake in the same area of East Texas this evening at 6:51….4.3
I got a notice of a 4.0 but not a 4.3. Wow! I know there will be damage to people’s homes from that. It’s so sad because their insurance won’t cover it. What are people supposed to do?
Ah, first, a 4.1 magnitude at only 5km deep, that will cause cracking in unreinforced brick & other masonry:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/dyfi/events/us/b000jfey/us/index.html
Then, a 4.3 magnitude, also 5km deep:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/dyfi/events/us/b000jfgm/us/index.html
I expect chimney & brick veneer damage from these 2 events, be careful people.
Did notice the blurb did not mention that the area has a history of quakes, so while there are injection wells in the area, there were quakes there before there was fracking in the area. Not saying fracking didn’t contribute, only that fracking isn’t the whole story.
“Not saying fracking didn’t contribute, only that fracking isn’t the whole story.”
Frac’ing seems to be “the whole story” in the Horn River Basin:
“Between April 2009 and July 2011, 31 seismic events were recorded and located by NRCan in the Etsho area of the Horn River Basin in northeast British Columbia (Figure 1). Another seven events were recorded near the Tattoo area between Dec. 8 and Dec. 13, 2011. The observed events ranged in magnitude between 2.2 and 3.8 ML on the Richter scale as recorded by NRCan (Table 1).
A search of the areas in the National Earthquake Database from 1985 to present shows no detected seismicity in the Horn River Basin prior to 2009.
… Two instances of wellbore deformation along horizontal sections were reported by one operator.
These occurred over a short interval beginning at 3,011 m KB (Kelly Bushing) in the d-A1-D/94-O-9 well.
In this instance, casing deformation was minor and did not hinder completion operations.
At d-1-D/94-O-9, the deformation was encountered at 4,245 m KB and the casing distortion blocked completion efforts at 4,288 m KB.
… This deformation was detected in July 2011.
… one event studied within this investigation was reported felt at surface. NRCan’s report on the May 19, 2011, 3.8 ML event indicates that the event was ‘felt by workers in (the) bush’.
… Conclusion
Horn River Basin seismicity events, from 2009 to late 2011, were caused by fluid injection during hydraulic fracturing. All events occurred during or between hydraulic fracturing stage operations”
http://www.bcogc.ca/document.aspx?documentID=1270&type=.pdf
So while people are assessing the damages to their water wells, homes, businesses, schools, churches, etc. from frac quakes – are the companies out checking the cement in their wells for cracks and leaks? Do they have a new earthquake-proof cement now?
Great post Sharon, thanks.
Alberta Neighbor,
Not sure why you seem to be taking issue with my comment. I don’t recall the post having to do with the Horn River Basin in BC, but having to do with Timpson, Tx.
I did *not* say that fracking never contributes to *any* quakes, and I did not say that fracking is never the major contributor or only contributor.
Only that, this particular area does have a history of quakes prior to fracking.
Thanks!
All the more reason NOT to conduct oil and gas drilling operations in the Timpson, TX area.
From the WFAA story:
[…]Geological maps show the tremor occurred along a moderately active geological formation called the Mount Enterprise fault system.
[…]
Clearly, there is an already established fault line. In 2013 and in all years going forward, we ALL need to be due diligent about our own health AND about the drilling operations already existing or in the planning stages in our communities.
WCGasette recently posted..Perforating the Horizontal Wellbore: The Documentary
EqualTime,
I thought your comment was vague, “there were quakes there before there was fracking,” is reminiscent of the industry line “there’s always been methane in the water, even before frac’ing.”
I noticed you didn’t include a reference for your statement, so I thought I would take the opportunity to point out that reportedly frac’ing – is also responsible for causing earthquakes, whether it’s the U.S, the U.K, Canada etc.
You can give “equal time” to earthquakes before and after frac’ing, but it doesn’t change the fact that frac’ing causes earthquakes, and unless you have a big fat cumulative impact report in your hands that says world-wide earthquakes caused by a global frac frenzy, injection wells, and production – is sustainable (to people, places and water sources) – then I believe Timpson and Sharon’s post has everything to do with the Horn River Basin – and anywhere else the industry is causing quakes and ruining lives.
Alberta Neighbor,
Please don’t try to muddle the issue. The article/post was about the Timpson earthquake(s), not any other place. My comment referred to “the area” and injection wells “in the area”.
Normally, most people understand the reference since I did not start introducing all sorts of other areas and locations into the discussion (like you did).
I’m not sure why you are asking for cumulative impact report that says world-wide earthquakes is sustainable.
Again, I’m at a loss to understand your issues with my statement. Which was simply and essentially “There were earthquakes in that area prior to injection wells and fracking, so let’s not jump to the conclusion that these were caused by fracking.”
I will restate from my first response to you – “I did *not* say that fracking never contributes to *any* quakes, and I did not say that fracking is never the major contributor or only contributor.”
EqualTime,
Please read my comment to you at 2:08pm.
Quakes in TX have been few and far between. Earthquakes of this magnitude are rare. Here is history http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/texas/history.php
The history of induced seismic in Horn River Basin is important. Learning from others is important. We don’t live in a bubble. I was especially interested in this:
“Two instances of wellbore deformation along horizontal sections were reported by one operator.”
What happens to the wellbores after earthquakes is an important question that needs to be answered.
Going forward we can expect more and more earthquakes if we continue to extract mass from the earth. Reference the recent news that the Eagle Ford Shale quakes were caused from pulling oil, gas and water from the earth.
I agree. what happens to the wellbores during and after earthquakes is a question that needs to be answered. One would expect there to be some deformation.
Regarding the extraction point you make, it’s refreshing since most people harp on the disposal wells and the injection of the waste water, etc after fracking as the root cause of many earthquakes. But you can go a bit further with the extraction point. Even the large amount of water pumped can cause problems in geologically unstable areas. We seen problems like that down in the Houston area (which has it’s own fault lines, too).
Industry tried so hard to focus the attention away from fracking and toward injection so they can say: See, fracking is innocent. Fracking is described as creating mini-earthquakes, and injection wells in action create earthquakes. They are essentially the same – forcing chemicals/waste underground under high pressure.
Because there are known faults in the area, it is especially stupid to be injecting there! Really dumb. Private property owners are damaged AGAIN.
“Reference the recent news that the Eagle Ford Shale quakes were caused from pulling oil, gas and water from the earth.”
An informative article Sharon, thanks. I especially like this quote from EID’s Everley:
“‘This issue really boils down to effective risk management and continuously improving production processes,’ says Steve Everley, a spokesman for Energy in Depth, a group representing gas drillers.
‘The industry has the tools to do just that, has been doing it, and will continue to do it well into the future,’ he tells Bloomberg.”
I wonder if by “tools” he means money and a hammer. Seems when the “effective risk management and improving production processes” fails, the protocol appears to be to throw money at people, and moonlight as a home re-builder/strengthener.
“Householders in Groningen have made a further 200 claims for damages against natural gas extraction company NAM over the past week, news agency ANP reports. The new claims follow widespread publicity about the impact of gas extraction from massive underground reserves in the province and the risk of heavier earthquakes.
NAM says it has already received some 2,500 damages claims and has processed 500 of them.
… Last week, an economic affairs ministry report said gas extraction may cause earthquakes of between 4 and 5 on the Richter scale, not up to 3.9 as earlier thought.
Locals say the €100m which NAM has set aside to prevent damage to vulnerable buildings is not nearly enough.”
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2013/02/more_claims_made_for_gas_extra.php
“Jannes Kadyk’s modest brick home suffered more than $5,000 in damage. Bert de Jong’s more stately home will need about $500,000 to get back into shape.
Both houses, like thousands of others, were damaged during recent earthquakes that have shaken the flat farmland in this area dotted with villages and tucked up against the North Sea.
The quakes were caused by the extraction of natural gas from the soil deep below. The gas was discovered in the 1950s, and extraction began in the 1960s, but only in recent years have the quakes become more frequent, about 18 in the first six weeks of this year, compared with as few as 20 each year before 2011.
… the number of claims for damaged property is already in the thousands, and the company extracting the gas, a consortium of Shell and Exxon Mobil, has set aside $130 million for measures to strengthen buildings against the shocks. Yet most troubling is that experts at government agencies are predicting that the quakes will worsen, to between a magnitude of 4 and 5.
… The risk of greater tremors, he said, ‘affects the whole region. Banks don’t want to invest anymore, and you cannot sell a house here.’
… Mr. de Jong’s farmhouse was built in 1894, when farming brought considerable wealth to the area. Elegant Art Nouveau ceilings with carved-wood flowers were installed before 1920, he said. Yet after quakes last August and in February, the ceilings are cracked, and the one in the dining room threatens to fall. The brick walls of the house now bulge by about four inches and will require buttressing, as will two brick chimneys that are in danger of collapse. A balcony that runs along the facade, supported by slender cast-iron columns, must be replaced.
‘We are not sure what these lighter tremors are doing,’ he said, sipping tea in his living room. ‘Maybe they are destroying the buildings piece by piece.’
‘Yet if people are killed in the area, what then?’ he asked.
‘We feel taken hostage,’ he said. ‘A hostage in your own home.'”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/world/europe/more-earthquakes-in-loppersum-the-netherlands.html?pagewanted=all
Apparently this is a pre-frac mess, so it makes perfect sense to now frac them.
http://www.dutchnews.nl/columns/2013/08/fracking-hell.php
Confirmed: Fracking practices to blame for Ohio earthquakes
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/fracking-practices-blame-ohio-earthquakes-8C11073601
Though, I still expect to hear crickets chirping, while waiting for an answer from industry about this one.
Third Quake in a Week Hits East Texas Town
http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2013/09/06/third-quake-in-a-week-hits-east-texas-town/
“Up until the recent spate of quakes, Timpson had never felt an earthquake before, at least not since the USGS started keeping records.”
Thanks for the link GhostBlogger.
Pipelines, wells a concern in quake-hit area
http://www.news-journal.com/news/local/pipelines-wells-a-concern-in-quake-hit-area/article_814605bc-a3b3-511b-b4aa-e1ffe85f4ba6.html
“TIMPSON — Continuing earthquakes around this Shelby County town — 16 since July 2011 — are raising concerns among both residents and researchers.”
Uh oh, people are beginning to notice.
Oh, lookie here, Oklahoma is going to solve this issue with voluntary efforts:
http://kgou.org/post/regulator-will-respond-risk-injection-well-earthquakes-suggestions-not-rules-or-laws
“Although the OCC can suggest that operators monitor seismic activity in wells before and during the disposal process, the rules aren’t mandatory. Making a company install and monitor for earthquakes requires legislative changes.”
Right, companies will always volunteer to do the safest thing-NOT!
NY: Minor Earthquake Causes Major Concerns
http://www.weny.com/news/local-news/minor-earthquake-causes-major-concerns-91312
WATKINS GLEN — (WENY) Concerns are piling up for opponents of liquid gas storage on Seneca Lake. According to the US Geological Survey, there was a 2.0 magnitude earthquake about 12 miles from the salt caverns proposed to store liquid gas by Inergy Midstream. Now, opponents of LPG storage are using the earthquake to fuel their argument.
“This earthquake, even though it was a small one occurred on the west side of Seneca Lake not to far from where they want to store the gas in these caverns,” said Joseph Campbell of Gas Free Seneca.