Fracking Man Has No Idea

[spathiphyllum]

https://www.channel4.com/news/director-of-regulation-for-the-oil-and-gas-authority-quizzed-on-fracking?fbclid=IwAR2RXANklFkM5tNli4WuqYzZn89EzOYsbxbAp2SFmu0SH8dCa1Wj8ymfvKI


So, to those who said there would be no quakes in a result from fracking.. What about holland? This guy has no idea what he's on aboot

[spathiphyllum]

"it's very rare for damages, even cosmetic ones, to occur at magnitudes less than 4"

In holland, houses have been knocked down because of the damage caused by earth quakes less than a magnitude of 4.

If the earth in the netherlands is "slightly different" and that is why this has happened, why on earth are we willy nilly fracking mad?

[spathiphyllum]

he is the oil and gass authority and regulator and he doesn't consider himself an expert. Fools. There only priority is not damaging homes.. What about the environment?

Lancashire has experienced severe earthquakes but 'we only believe it's OK' because apparently the magnitude is low, even thought the damage isn't

[Spicerack]

He seemed alright to me. You'd hardly expect him to know the details of every anti-fracking report in the world, or would you?
Cathy 'So What You're Saying Is' Newman, on the other hand, still sounds like the thick, smug, arrogant, left-leaning pinhead she's always been. She's obviously too stupid to learn from previous humiliations.

[johnk]

What damage in Lancashire and when were these severe earthquakes?

[Togo]

Ahh a "reporter" for the beep beep see ambushes him with a loaded question about low level "earth quakes" in Holland (wooooo scarry). No examples of the massive infrastructure hinted at, or the millions of acres of flooded land after the dams and dykes(love that word) break. Nor is there any hint as to whether said massive earth quakes were even a result of fracking, I suspect not. I am sure that I read something over the weekend that pointed out that the Company that is testing the fracking potential in Lancashire have to halt all work for a tremor that is the equivalent of a child kicking a football on the surface.....HAHA. I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down.

[New Judge]

Spathi seems to be dismissive of the "Magnitude” issue of earthquakes, suggesting that one is very much like another.

On the Richter scale, tremors of magnitudes between 3.0 and 3.9 are classified as “minor”. The description is:

“Often felt by people, but very rarely causes damage. Shaking of indoor objects can be noticeable.”. There are said to be more than 100,000 such events across the globe every year (2,000 a week) including a number in the UK.

In fact the description of the tremors up to 4.9 is “Generally causes none to minimal damage. Moderate to significant damage very unlikely. Some objects may fall off shelves or be knocked over.”

If you move up to the next level, those up to 5.9 are described:

“Can cause damage of varying severity to poorly constructed buildings. At most, none to slight damage to all other buildings. Felt by everyone.”

Also bear in mind that the Richter Scale is logarithmic. That means that a ‘quake of 5.0 is ten times as powerful as one of 4.0. One of 6.0 is 100 times as powerful as one of 4.0.

The Groningen area of the Netherlands has been subject to some minor earthquakes (though I have not been able to find any reports of houses collapsing). It is important to note that gas extraction there is being done by conventional drilling and not fracking. There have only been seven ‘quakes in the Netherlands beyond Magnitude 4.0 since 1900. Only two of them were over 5.0. None of them have occurred since gas extraction began. Yes indeed, there has been some minor damage in this area of the Netherlands since gas extraction began in 1992. Human have to decide whether they want to burn gas or not. The Dutch people obviously have decided that they do.

Lancashire has not experienced “severe earthquakes” as a result of the fracking activity there (or from any other cause). It has experienced a few minor tremors of the kind that occur naturally every day. In the UK. Since 1900 there have been around 30 earthquakes above 4.0 magnitude. Of these less than a handful produced any structural damage of any significance, with the Swansea ‘quake of 1906 (Magnitude 5.2) the worst.

Remember that magnitude 3.0 is at the bottom end of the band which is described as “Often felt by people, but very rarely causes damage. Shaking of indoor objects can be noticeable.” Of the recent “earthquakes” in Lancashire said to be associated with the fracking exercise going on there, the worst was of magnitude 0.8. This is less than one thousandth of the strength of a ‘quake of 3.0.

Whatever understanding Mr Wheeler does or does not have of earthquake measurements he probably knows, as I do, that Magnitude is a very important element when discussing them. He probably also realises, as I do, that the tremors felt in Lancashire are of no significance whatsoever. People need to get a grip.

[New Judge]

^^^^
"This is less than one thousandth of the strength of a ‘quake of 3.0."

Sorry. Should read "less than one hundreth". Can't do me maffs.

[jackthehat]

I have some small cracks in the (newish) plasterwork in my house but I have told no-one.
I am waiting for a sufficiently large 'quake' upon which to blame them and hope that some ugly ornaments I am forced to display (by familial obligation) will plunge to the stone hearth at the same time.

Naturally, I shall be claiming from Cuadrilla for this damage to my home and contents........but I fear I may have an awfully long time to wait until such an event occurs. :o(

[spathiphyllum]

Yeahh.. what's the big deal?
I mean.. it only projects hundreds of toxic chemicals into the earth which contaminate drinking water sources, releases methane and deadly radon gas, destroys the land, wastes fantastic amounts of water and causes earthquakes..

I should really chill out.. i mean, what could possible go wrong?

Then there is the has giants who extract this gas, and then sell it on for a humongous profit to our Gov. Just like they did in Aus.

Whether we support it or not, it's going to keep happening and with increasing magnitude.

[spathiphyllum]

Don't worry JTH your time will come. Each quake is bigger than the last. It's only a matter of time

[Togo]

I predict that when the coming cold spell gets a grip across whole swathes of Europe and the UK,( probably this very winter) and the Russians threaten to turn off the gas or the Germans commandeer the suppliers,( they have a history of that sort of thing) that the hand wringers and doom mongers will be squealing that the "guvverment shud ov dun sumfing abaht it" instead of listening to them.

[dave50]

Yes Togo and if that happens, all the anti-fracking brigade should be last in the queue for gas.

[spathiphyllum]

Well that's exactly it. If we had invested more in renewable we wouldn't have to worry about being "cut off".

And speaking of winter.. what happens when water gets into holes then freezes then melts again? Pot holes.. Now imagine that on a giant scale under our feets whilst the pump dangerous chemicals into the cracks also...

[Spicerack]

Foots?

[Togo]

Haha fracking causes potholes. :))
Must have been fracking for donkey's years here without telling us. Never heard such trite nonsense in my life.