A University of Calgary professor is working to address what he calls some of the myths surrounding the increase in small earthquakes caused by human activity. David Eaton works in the geophysics department, and says the uptick in areas like Fox Creek is mainly injection induced, but that doesn’t always mean fracking.
“In the U.S., especially Oklahoma, there is very good evidence that the induced earthquakes are actually linked to large scale disposal of wastewater, which is co-produced with oil, but in Canada there’s documented examples where earthquakes might be linked to hydraulic fracturing operations instead.”
It’s been shown that hydraulic fracturing can cause up to magnitude four earthquakes, but Eaton says there’s still a lot to be learned. The authors of the a journal released Wednesday trying to understand why these small-scale earthquakes are occurring, in order to help develop future regulations.