'Fracking' began in China’s most dangerous earthquake zone

Oil companies have started drilling for oil in China's Sichuan region, an earthquake hot bed, where nearly 70 000 people died in devastating M 8.0 earthquake in 2008. The Sichuan province of China has seen many strong and devastating earthquakes the most recent of which occurred on April 20, 2013.

Oil extracting issue raised concerns over the increase of earthquakes throughout the region as the hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" process of extracting oil from the earth is highly invasive and believed by many to be a direct earthquake instigator.

Schematic depiction of hydraulic fracturing for shale gas. Author: Mikenorton

Fracking, is a technique in which typically water is mixed with sand and chemicals, and the mixture is injected at high pressure into a wellbore to create small fractures (typically less than 1mm), along which fluids such as gas, petroleum and brine water may migrate to the well.

Fracking routinely produces microseismic events much too small to be detected except by sensitive instruments but latest studies show strong distant earthquakes can also be the cause of earthquakes at drilling sites.

Geologists also raise concerns over the amount of water used in 'fracking', and whether China’s shale ambitions could run the water supply dry (RT).

China is home to roughly 20 percent of the world’s population but it only controls 6 percent of the world’s fresh water supply. Even without recent extreme droughts it often experiences serious water shortages. Adding 'fracking' to this equation could only further exacerbate the problem as toxic chemicals used in fracking alter the drinking water. 

Money and power "talks" again. It's really nothing surprising because humans are very smart. We can build nuclear power plants, drill oil and build settlements at highly seismic areas without thinking it might be wrong and cause loss of life. We are just the smart when it comes to food that we eat, medicine and education… In a world where spiritual growth is for weaklings, let's keep caring for all the wrong things.

Featured image:  ADBC (Agriculture Development Bank of China) branch in Bei Chuan after earthquake. Author: 人神之间