The United States has come to be known as having some of the largest shale formations and reserves in the world. In these shales are pockets of gas and oil, waiting to be found. But how? Oil companies found a way to extract the oil and gas by what is now known as hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as fracking. Fracking is a new concept in the United States that has rocketed us to the number one spot in gas production, but at what cost? Fracking, a process of injecting a chemical mixture into the ground at a high pressure into subterranean rock to force open existing fissures and extract oil and gas, has been harmful to our air, water, and even our health. The chemical mixture can trigger the existing fault lines in our Earth's crust causing an influx of earthquakes in the United States or wherever fracking is present. Not only are the number of earthquakes increasing, but so are the size of these earthquakes. Most people believe fracking is a good thing, a great means of oil production. However, they do not stop to think about how detrimental it is to our environment. …show more content…
The Duvernay shale is emerging as an oil and gas rich shale formation, located in northern Alberta. The shale was averaging zero to three earthquakes a year, which was relatively quiet. But since fracking has started the shale is producing zero to four earthquakes per day. (Nikiforuk, 2015) Places such as Texas, Arkansas, and Ohio have seen an influx of earthquakes due to being within the vicinity of wastewater injection wells. South central Kansas has now averaged 17 quakes of 2.0 magnitude or greater per month. (Green,