In addition to poisoned drinking water:
"Ohio geologists link small quakes to fracking" by Julie Carr Smyth | Associated Press April 12, 2014
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Geologists in Ohio have for the first time linked earthquakes in a geologic formation deep under the Appalachians to hydraulic fracturing, leading the state to issue new permit conditions Friday in certain areas that are among the nation’s strictest.
That's why we are getting tremors out here, why Oklahoma is getting them, wherever fracking is earthquakes follow -- and the great earthquake will be in the month of May (I can hear the HAARP now as the entire program for world domination is going down the drain).
How long ago was that HAARP link, and they are only now "for the first time" linking it to fracturing?
A state investigation of five small tremors last month in the Youngstown area, in the Appalachian foothills, found the injection of sand and water that accompanies hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in the Utica Shale may have increased pressure on a small, unknown fault, said State Oil & Gas Chief Rick Simmers. He called the link ‘‘probable.’’
Or it caused one.
While earlier studies had linked earthquakes in the same region to deep-injection wells used for disposal of fracking wastewater, this marks the first time tremors in the region have been tied directly to fracking, Simmers said.
No one knows what poisons or chemicals are in there, either.
The five seismic events in March couldn’t be easily felt by people.
Yeah, so no big deal. Can't destroy the source of rich profits for gas and oil companies. Too bad the government wasted trillions on wars and bank bailouts instead of developing sustainable energy, 'eh? And those $ame intere$ts $till hold $way despite all the agenda-pu$hing (meant to benefit certain well-connected folk and those getting the tax breaks).
The oil and gas drilling boom targets widely different rock formations around the nation, so the Ohio findings may not have much relevance to other areas other than perhaps influencing public perception of fracking’s safety.
If this is nothing why was it given a full article?
The types of quakes connected to the industry are generally small and not easily felt, but the idea of human activity causing the earth to shake often doesn’t sit well.
I'm thinking of the water. We can all live with some rumblings.
The state says the company that set off the Ohio quakes was following rules and appeared to be using common practices. It just got unlucky, Simmers said.
Oh, is that all it was? Luck!?
*************
Fracking involves pumping huge volumes of water, sand, and chemicals underground to split open rocks to allow oil and gas to flow. Improved technology has allowed energy companies to gain access to huge stores of natural gas but has raised widespread concerns that it might lead to groundwater contamination — and earthquakes.
Again, I'm more concerned about the first one and am agitated by fart-mi$ters hollering global warming when I think about it.
A US government report released in 2012 found that two worldwide instances of shaking can be attributed to actual extraction of oil and gas, as opposed to wastewater disposal in the ground — a 2.8-magnitude quake in Oklahoma and a 2.3-magnitude quake in England. Both were in 2011.
Later, the Canadian government tied quakes in British Columbia’s Horn River Basin between 2009 and 2011 to fracking. Those led to stricter regulations, which news reports indicated had little effect on the pace or volume of drilling.
But for the region encompassing Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, where energy companies have drilled thousands of unconventional gas wells in recent years, it’s a first. The Utica Shale lies beneath the better-known Marcellus Shale, which is more easily accessible and is considered one of the world’s richest gas reserves.
Related: Washington's Water Supply
That's a no frack area, and I think you can $ee why.
Glenda Besana-Ostman, a seismologist with the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation, confirmed the finding is the first in the area to suggest a connection between the quakes and fracking.
A deep-injection wastewater well in the same region of Ohio was found to be the likely cause of a series of quakes in 2012.
--more--"
It was a one-day rumbler, readers.
"7.2-magnitude earthquake shakes Mexico" by Jose Antonio Rivera | Associated Press April 19, 2014
ACAPULCO, Mexico — A powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake shook central and southern Mexico on Friday, sending panicked people into the streets. Some walls cracked and fell, but there were no reports of major damage or casualties.
The US Geological Survey said the quake at about 9:30 a.m. was centered on a long-dormant fault line northwest of the Pacific resort of Acapulco, where many Mexicans are vacationing for the Easter holiday. It was felt across at least a half-dozen states and Mexico’s capital, where it collapsed several walls and left larges cracks in some facades. Debris covered sidewalks around the city.
That reminds me; the coverage of the Chile earthquake flickered out real quick, and the Nicaraguan one never even got a mention.
Around the region, there were reports of isolated and minor damage, such as fallen fences, trees, and broken windows. Chilpancingo, capital of the southern state of Guerrero, where the quake was centered, reported a power outage, but service was restored after 15 minutes.
In Acapulco, Enedina Ramirez Perez was having breakfast, enjoying the holiday with about 20 family members, when her hotel started to shake. ‘‘People were turning over chairs in their desperation to get out, grabbing children, trampling people,’’ the Mexico City woman said. ‘‘The hotel security was excellent and started calming people down. They got everyone to leave quietly.’’
The quake struck 170 miles southwest of Mexico City, where people fled high-rises and took to the streets, many in still in their bathrobes and pajamas on their day off.
--more--"
Need that fracked fuel for the bus:
"Bus hits truck in Mexico, killing 36" | Associated Press April 14, 2014
VERACRUZ, Mexico — A passenger bus slammed into a broken-down truck and burst into flames, killing at least 36 people Sunday in southern Mexico, the Veracruz state government reported.
Related: Boston Globe Bus Service
Also see:
Scant evidence of precrash fire in Calif.
US revisits safety rules after Calif. bus crash
I hope the Mexicans had more than one witness.
It's ironic. Government doesn't believe witnesses and here is a witness that doesn't believe government.
State and federal officials said four people survived the crash, which occurred shortly after midnight in the southeastern state of Veracruz.
A communique from the state civil defense agency said the victims were business people from the region who were traveling from the Tabasco state capital of Villahermosa to Mexico City.
The agency’s emergency director, Ricardo Maza Limon, said victims apparently burned to death inside the bus, which was so badly charred that the tires melted.
The federal highway department said the bus was on a highway when it struck a five-axle tractor-trailer that had broken down. It was parked along the roadside.
--more--"
Also see: Getting Back to Guzman
Makes my Mexico file current.
Now getting back to the quakes:
The 2011 meltdown at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant was sparked by an earthquake and tsunami
Speaking of Fukushima, this is what the Globe has been giving me about Japan since the subject last came up:
"Japan pro-whaling lobby vows to continue hunts" by Mari Yamaguchi | Associated Press April 16, 2014
TOKYO — Hundreds of pro-whaling Japanese officials, lawmakers, and lobby group members vowed Tuesday to continue whale hunts despite a world court ruling that ordered the country to halt its Antarctic whaling program.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, minister for agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, told the meeting that Japan must protect its whale-eating culture and secure sources of whale meat. Japan as a maritime nation ‘‘has a policy of harvesting and sustainably using the protein source from the ocean, and that is unshakable,’’ Hayashi said.
Cutlets, sashimi, steak, and other dishes made of whale meat were served at the gathering near Japan’s Parliament, attracting many participants.
‘‘Whale!’’ they shouted together in a toast, pledging to continue their fight over the animal.
The International Court of Justice ordered Japan on March 31 to stop granting permits for its Antarctic whaling program, which allowed an annual catch of about 1,000 whales. The court rejected Japan’s contention that the program was scientific, not commercial.
Japan announced it will cancel next season’s Antarctic expedition after the ruling but has not decided whether to conduct two other programs — one along Japan’s northern coast and another in the northern Pacific — both set to begin within weeks. Japan kills about 300 minke whales annually in those programs.
The court ruling technically leaves the door open for Japan to propose a redesigned scientific whaling program in the Antarctic, but any new plan would face intense scrutiny. Officials generally agree that the most likely scenario is for Japan to withdraw from the Antarctic and continue the remaining programs.
--more--"
As much as I love life and the animals, I would think the 300 tons of radioactive water being dumped into their habitat every day for the last three years is more of a problem.
