It may be impossible to drill deep into the Earth, but by studying how tremors from earthquakes travel through the Earth, scientists have gained new insight into our planet’s core.
Residents of Pakistan’s Balochistan Province say flooding in August followed by an earthquake in September have been too much to bear, coming as they did just a few years after a devastating cyclone.
Hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking”) is currently one of the energy industry’s hottest topics due to its controversial techniques in the recovery of natural gases (hydrocarbons) from shale rock. Although its ease of access means a whole new means of sourcing energy and boost in gas production; questions arise around the stories of possible minor earthquakes to water contamination. Can we really split fact from fiction?
Injecting fluids into the Earth, whether to recover natural gas or to obtain thermal energy from the planet, can cause earthquakes. New reports that look at American fracking, deep waste-water injection and geothermal activities suggest there are big risks and thus a need to develop strong regulatory framework to deal with them.