Induced Earthquakes from Long-Term Gas Extraction in Groningen, the Netherlands : Statistical Analysis and Prognosis for Acceptable-Risk Regulation.
A recent overview and analysis shows that increasing amounts of gas drilling at Groningen, the largest gas field in Europe, led to a dramatic rise in regional earthquakes between 2001 and 2013. After a reduction in extraction was introduced by the Dutch Government, earthquake numbers started to fall. Statistical analysis reveals that if high extraction rates were resumed, about 35 earthquakes, with a magnitude (M) of over 1.5 on the Richter scale, might occur annually from the year 2021 onwards, including four with a damaging magnitude of over 2.5.
“Even if extraction was limited to the 2017 rate set by the government (21.6 billion cubic metres – bcm), the annual number of earthquakes would gradually increase again, with an expected all-time maximum M of 4.5, a serious event capable of shaking walls and chimneys, creating considerable damage and posing safety risks to the public.”
Science for Environment Policy explains, 19 July 2018. . .
via Fracking, gas drilling, and risks of (further) earthquakes — DES Daughter Network
The Most Revolutionary Act 
Stop stirring up fear! There are very knowledgeable people directing this, and they have our best interests in mind. And don’t blame them for the earth opening up and the sky falling, it was going to happen anyway. (Sarc., but do I have to say it?)
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Marbleneclter, I think there is more and more evidence that profits are inconsistent with the public interest – at least in the way capitalism is currently structure.
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All economic and rulership systems have their problem ems because they are all run by human beings. Nation-based free market capitalism has to be played by rules, and a few are tearing up our book of rules for our rules of economic and Constitutonal systems. Our greatest challenge to both in the last century, David Rockefeller, lauded Chairman Mao for his implementation of Marxism, and called it the greatest of social programs in spite of its cost in the form of human lives. (Forty to sixty million in China alone.) There will always be cronies, crony capitalism, crony Marxism,, crony feudalism, … For anything but a small group of people strongly unified in some way, profit obtained through honest work is a necessity for survival. A national, let alone global, spirit of altruism will not work. There will never be a dictatorship of the proletariat, Marxism will always be a dictatorship of dictators.
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I welcome earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, monsoons, hurricanes, tornadoes, torrential downpours, massive flooding and mass power outages and these must continue, uninterrupted. Talk about a wake-up call, that is what is sorely needed!
People have been in an uproar about fracking for quite some time now and who listened to them? Surely not those who intend making profits from fracking and so since corporations are hellbent on dooming us all, the shit may as well go full throttle and be done with it! We are screwed anyway.
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I am more and more convinced that fracking is a doomed industry, Shelby, mostly because the banks are more and more reluctant to finance it. It turns out that fracking isn’t a very economically efficient process any more – largely because they did all the good wells 5-10 years ago. The biggest expense happens in drilling the well (I think you’re aware that we have been invaded by frackers here in Taranaki). Once the well is drilled, they replace human labor with robots that they check once a week. The newer wells tend to deplete after 2 years – sometimes even sooner – and banks are increasingly reluctant to fund these operations. Especially after losing a ton of money when the price of oil dropped in 2014.
Here in New Zealand, our activism has been effective in stopping foreign oil companies from drilling other areas of New Zealand. Even in Taranaki, a number of foreign companies (including Shell) have pulled out. I expect our current lawsuit in the Environment Court will make it so expensive to frack in this area, we’ll lose even more. It seems banks really sit up and take notice of these kinds of lawsuits.
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Actually I think the US fracking business was a short-term ploy to destroy Venezuela’s economy and get rid of their socialist government. Once the US installs a puppet government they’ll go back to buying cheap oil from there and elsewhere. Have they succeeded? It seems the Saudis have begun feeling the pain, and those pesky Venezuelans are pretty damn determined! Watching that space with great interest!
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I think there’s a lot of truth in that perspective, Alan.
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