Hydraulic fracturing likely cause of Red Deer area earthquakes: Report

Hydraulic fracturing likely cause of Red Deer area earthquakes: Report

CALL EM WHAT THEY ARE FRACKQUAKES, 

MAN MADE EARTHQUAKES FROM FRACKING 

HOW IS KENNEY AND HIS PETRO WAR ROOM GOING

TO DENY THE SCIENCE OF THIS 

Courtesy of rdnewsNOW
By Sheldon Spackman, rdnewsNOW
ALBERTA
Jan 23, 2020

Preliminary findings into the cause of a pair of earthquakes near Red Deer over the past two years have identified hydraulic fracturing as the likely cause.

According to an open file report published by the Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) Alberta Geological Survey (AGS) last month, early findings confirm that felt earthquake events occurred near Red Deer in both March 2019 and March 2018.

On Mar. 19, 2018, the report indicates a 3.13 magnitude earthquake was identified near Red Deer, with shaking from the event felt by “some.”

On Mar. 4, 2019, a 4.18 magnitude earthquake was recognized south of Sylvan Lake, with shaking reported as far away as Red Deer. Complaints of damage from the event were also received.

The report indicates a nearby operator, Calgary-based Vesta Energy, installed a seismic network and shared their data with AGS. Analysis of the data suggested both earthquakes were induced by nearby hydraulic fracturing operations, and that other smaller clusters of events (up to magnitude 2.0) were also induced in the Duvernay East Shale Basin (ESB), in which Red Deer and areas west are located.

A historical analysis of all nearby seismological data in the basin also discovered an additional well which caused earthquakes (up to magnitude 2.59) in September of 2014.

The AGS report also states that previous studies have noted an increase in the number of earthquakes attributable to petroleum resource development within the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB).

According to the report, previous studies indicate hydraulic fracturing, in particular, has contributed most significantly to the apparent rate change in the past few years.

However, despite the regionally pronounced change in earthquake rates and hazard, only a small proportion of the total wells within the WCSB exhibit induced earthquakes.

Officials with Vesta Energy emailed the following statement regarding the report’s findings.

“Vesta operates in areas with potential for seismicity and continues to take the necessary precautions to ensure compliance with Alberta Energy Regulator (“AER”) regulations. Vesta has sophisticated monitoring equipment placed throughout its operating perimeter to detect seismic activity and works with the AER as needed to report any detections of seismic events in the area.”

It goes on to say, “The safety of employees, contractors, and communities near our operations is paramount for Vesta. We are proud to contribute to the local economy by providing employment opportunities and support to local businesses.”

by Sheldon Spackman, rdnewsNOW

Fracking to blame for earthquakes, seismic 'clusters' in central Alberta
'Suspicious' earthquakes in typically dormant region triggered review
Wallis Snowdon · CBC News · Posted: Jan 23, 2020 

In this March 29, 2013, file photo, workers tend to a well head during a hydraulic fracturing operation outside Rifle, in western Colorado. Fracking or hydraulic fracturing is way of extracting natural gas that involves injecting fluid into a well under high pressure to fracture the gas-bearing rock and release the gas inside..' (Brennan Linsley/Associated Press)
An earthquake that sent tremors through central Alberta last spring — rattling homes in Red Deer and temporarily knocking out power in parts of Sylvan Lake — was caused by fracking, an investigation by provincial regulators concludes.
A report by researchers with the Alberta Geological Society and the Alberta Energy Regulator examined two earthquakes near Red Deer, one on March 19, 2018, and another on March 2, 2019.
Investigators determined that nearby fracking operations triggered both earthquakes and also induced other "small clusters" of seismic events in the area with tremors up to a magnitude of 2.0.
Fracking or hydraulic fracturing is a way of extracting natural gas that involves injecting fluid into a well under high pressure to fracture the gas-bearing rock and release the gas inside.
Understanding the link between fracking and earthquakes
The practice has been linked to most large earthquakes in Alberta and B.C. interior in recent decades.
Some U.S. residents have sued oil and gas companies over injuries and damage to homes caused by fracking-induced earthquakes.
Still, such earthquakes are rare and because they're a relatively recent phenomenon, they are little understood, prompting questions about why they arise in some places and not others.
'Felt by many'
The 2018 earthquake was 3.13 in magnitude and the "shaking from the event was felt by some," the study said.
The earthquake in 2019 was significantly stronger with a magnitude of 4.18. There were reports of property damage and the "shaking from the event was felt by many," the report said.
The epicentre was located about 12 kilometres south of Sylvan Lake, where the seismic activity is typically dormant, researchers said.
"Recent events were large enough to be felt by nearby residents in Red Deer, who were between four to 10 kilometres away," reads the report.
"The observation of these events in a typically seismically quiescent region was suspicious, considering the recent development of the Duvernay East Shale Basin."
Alberta Energy Regulator suspends fracking well linked to Monday earthquake
'A very short, sharp shock': Earthquake rattles central Alberta
The earthquake was reported to the Alberta Energy Regulator by Calgary-based oil and gas operator Vesta Energy.
At the time, the regulator ordered Vesta Energy Ltd. to suspend hydraulic fracturing operations at the site in order to protect the public and the environment.
It also ordered the Calgary-based company to submit a report on recent seismic activity in the area and specific fracturing data for the well site.
The regulator has also ordered Vesta to file a plan to eliminate or reduce future seismic activity from fracturing.
The report suggests further investigation is needed on the operations causing the increase in seismic activity. For instance, previous research found that earthquakes in the Cardston region in southern Alberta were related to fluid from nearby operations flowing into fault lines.
"At least 13 new clusters of induced earthquakes are recognized," the study said.
"Our next steps were to better understand why this region may be susceptible to these events through comparisons to other regions where geological proxies for seismogenic potential have been identified."
The company's website said it operates in the Joffre Duvernay shale oil basin in central Alberta and had 84 producing wells on-stream last year.
"Vesta operates in areas with potential for seismicity, and continues to take the necessary precautions to ensure compliance with Alberta Energy Regulator," the company said Thursday in an emailed statement to CBC News.
"Vesta has sophisticated monitoring equipment placed throughout its operating perimeter to detect seismic activity, and works with the AER as needed to report any detections of seismic events in the area."
Fracking to be restricted in Alberta region that suffered earthquake
Fracking the official cause of Sylvan Lake earthquake last spring

Alberta Energy Regulators declared their findings in a report released last month
MEGAN ROTH Jan. 26, 2020

A study by the Alberta Geological Survey has concluded the cause of the earthquake that rocked Sylvan Lake in March, 2019.
According to a report published by the Alberta Geological Society, a department of Alberta Energy Regulators (AER), the earthquake was caused by fracking at a nearby site.
The report, released last month, details finding from the ML 4.18 earthquake with the epicentre located about 12 kilometres south of town, as well as ML 3.13 quake a year prior located near Red Deer.
Alberta Energy Regulators (AER) deemed the two quakes suspicious, due to their location.
“The observation of these events in a typically seismically quiescent region was suspicious, considering the recent development of the Duvernay East Shale Basin,” the report reads.
Vesta Energy, a Calgary-based company, was fracking at the time and in the vicinity of earthquake.
AER said they had to use information obtained by Vesta Energy to properly assess the situation, and find a cause for the quake.
“Because deployments of seismic monitoring stations in the province have been skewed to more seismically active areas, assessing the induced status of this cluster based solely on data from those areas was impossible. Instead, the operator of the well in question deployed a passive seismic monitoring network to more thoroughly address the issue.”
Vesta Energy has a site near Sylvan Lake and reported it was fracturing at the time of the quake. Operations at the site immediately ceased, according to an AER order.
Director of Environment and Operational Performance Erik Kuleba said in the order issued to Vesta Energy “that a release of a substance or substances has occurred, and that substances have caused, are causing, or may cause an adverse effect.”
Before Vesta Energy was able resume operations, they had to submit a plan to AER by March 11 “to show how they will minimize the risk of any seismic impacts in the future.”
Vesta Energy had to include all passive seismic data from April 2018 to present.
In May, Vesta was able to start working at the site once again. Alberta Energy Regulators said Vesta’s risk assessment plan showed minimal risk of seismic impacts in the future.
According to the AGS, Alberta has experienced more than 600 earthquakes between 1985 and 2011. During the same time, Saskatchewan only experienced 41 recorded earthquakes.
Most of Alberta’s recorded earthquakes are distributed evenly along the foothills and Rocky Mountains, there are also clusters of earthquakes east of the Rocky Mountain “deformation belt” around Rocky Mountain House, according to AGS.
Earthquake seismologists with the Geological Survey of Canada originally believed the cause of the March 4 earthquake to be natural.
The original cause was believed to be from tectonic movement along the Rocky Mountains. While Central Alberta is a distance away from a fault line, quakes still occur every few years, as stress from the fault lines can often be felts a ways away.
The quake was relatively centralized. Reports say the shock could be felt in Red Deer, Lacombe, Blackfalds, Eckville, Penhold and as far north as Gull Lake

Central Alberta earthquakes “caused” by fracking, the regulator confirms
By Joseph Warner
-January 23, 2020
Earthquakes felt in the Red Deer area have been linked again to nearby hydraulic fractures, the Alberta energy regulator confirmed.
Central Alberta earthquakes that caused damage to the structure and briefly devastated energy in parts of Lake Sylvan City were caused by a bloated oil field, says an Alberta energy regulator report.
An investigation by EAR and its Alberta Geological Survey (AGS), determines seismic activity on March 4 last year and March 19, 2018 in the Red Deer area is caused by hydraulic fractures, the process of liquid injection to release rock formations and free high hydrocarbons.
That kind of earthquake activity was not known in the area, but was very visible when it happened, the report said.
“Within Alberta, most of the earthquake-induced activity is concentrated in the Duvernay Formation development areas near Fox Creek,” she states.
“However, the recent events (March 19, 2018 and March 4, 2019) were large enough to be felt by nearby residents in the City of Red Deer who were between 4-10 km away.”
He says such seismic activity in a typically more stable area “was suspicious, given the recent development of the Duvernay East Shale Basin.”
The magnitude 4.18 earthquake on March 4, 2019 occurred near where Vesta Energy had carried out fracking and the company’s activities there were suspended by the EAR.
“Damage complaints from the event were accepted,” the report states.
None of the tremors caused any injuries.
He also says that a small group of 2.0 magnitude earthquakes in the area is also attributed to fracking and that at least 13 new earthquake clusters caused by fracking have been found through his investigation.
A Fortis Alberta spokeswoman said they discovered a problem at their Lake Sylvan substation at 5:55 a.m. that day “that power had disappeared”.
“This is at the same time that reports of an earthquake in the area started to come in,” Alana Antonelli added.
Power was restored to all 4,600 of its affected customers in about 90 minutes or less, she said.
Before the investigation was completed, Antonelli said “it is still too early to say that the disruption to the substation was caused by the earthquake, but we can probably assume they were related.”
A few days after the March 4 event, Sylvan Lake Mayor Sean McIntyre said there is no need to be alarmed
“We are aware of the conversation about the hydraulic fracturing process,” he said.
“However at this time, we are confident in the ability of the Alberta Energy Regulator (and the province) to protect Alberta’s health and safety, striking a balance in terms of sustainable economic growth,” he said in a written statement.
The EAR and AGS use over 50 monitoring systems across the province to measure and study seismic activity – an issue that requires much more information, the provincial regulator said.
“This approach is constantly being refined as many of the basic features are incompletely recognized, new earthquake clusters continue to emerge, emergence continues to evolve, and our understanding of the triggering mechanisms of these earthquakes increases,” the report said.
In a statement, Vesta Energy said it continues to operate in areas of potential seismic activity while complying with EAR regulations.
“Vesta has sophisticated monitoring equipment deployed throughout its perimeter of operation to detect seismic activity and works with the EAR as needed to report any seismic event detection in the area,” she said.
“The safety of employees, contractors and communities near our operations is essential to Vesta.”