Frakking Related 5.1 and 3.9 Magnitude Earthquakes Recorded in Oklahoma

5.1 and 3.9 magnitude earthquakes recorded in Oklahoma

A 5.1 magnitude earthquake shook northwest Oklahoma and was felt in seven other states Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, the third-strongest temblor ever recorded in the state where the power and frequency of earthquakes has dramatically increased in recent years.

The earthquake centered about 17 miles north of Fairview in northwestern Oklahoma occurred at 11:07 a.m. and was reportedly felt across Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico and Texas, the USGS said. At least 10 smaller quakes ranging in magnitude from 2.5 to 3.9 were recorded in the same area by late Saturday afternoon, according to the USGS. A magnitude 3.1 quake occurred near Crescent, about 75 miles east of Fairview, the USGS said.

Oklahoma's stronger and more frequent earthquakes have been linked to the injection into the ground of the briny wastewater left over from oil and gas production. The 10 earthquakes Saturday were in the same lightly populated area near Fairview, a town of about 2,600 that's about 100 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. The area has had several quakes of magnitude 4.0 since the start of the year."

I learned that a "temblor" is an earthquake. Also that there are no nuclear power plants in Oklahoma.

Pilgrim Nuclear Plant Safety Rating Downgraded

The Boston Globe reports Pilgrim nuclear plant safety rating downgraded. It's the only nuclear power plant in Massachusetts.

Measuring the heck out of shale gas leakage in Texas

Ars Technica reports Measuring the heck out of shale gas leakage in Texas. Researchers tracked methane leakage from the Barnett Shale (around Dallas-Fort Worth). The results seems to be that overall leakage is low but higher than expected. Also, most of the leakage comes from a small number of "super-emitters".

"One group sampled 186 sites where a well or pipeline equipment was located. Just five percent of them accounted for over half of the total methane leakage. At 30 percent of the sites, on the other hand, their instruments detected no leakage at all."

That would seem to make it easier to address.