As LK has warned us, if South Dakota gets into the fracking sand business, we may be complicit in sending California into the ocean... or maybe Oklahoma:
Scientists have linked Oklahoma’s biggest recorded earthquake to the disposal of wastewater from oil production, adding to evidence that may lead to greater regulation of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas.
...Fluids from conventional oil extraction in Oklahoma had been pumped into abandoned wells for 17 years before the quake, according to the study. In 2006, pressure in the underground holding areas escalated quickly, as they began to fill, [Columbia University researcher Heather] Savage said.
A series of earthquakes occurred over three days near Prague, with the 5.7-magnitude temblor triggered by the initial earthquake, not the injection of drilling wastewater, according to [University of Oklahoma researcher Katie] Keranen [Mark Drajem and Jim Efstathiou Jr., "Quake Tied to Oil-Drilling Waste Adds Pressure for Rules," Bloomberg BusinessWeek, 2013.03.27].
This risk isn't new science: we've known since the 1960s that we can trigger seismic activity by injecting fluid into the ground. I'd hate to see oil development in across the Great Plains sacrifice one of the best quality-of-life advantages we have—no earthquakes!—over California.
The only reason those frackers would come up with one lie after another is if they have something to hide. First they say fracking is hydraulic. Well as I have stated to some before, hydraulics a mile away underground is going to not be as strong after going through a mile of pipe. And to cause a big enough push to crack the earth for five miles to make the crack reach your well would take nuclear or stronger with all that mile of earth holding down the crack. Then when the water wells kill people in ways that resemble radiation poisoning and water radiation levels are thousands of times higher than normal, it really looks like nuclear explosions are the culprit. If you can prove me wrong would be a great relief to me. But now they say this hydraulic system works with sand. No sand ever made a hydraulic system work better. If they are going to put out more lies, then they should at least use a lie that does not so contradict the past lies. Hydraulics and sand are not a match. But wanting to mine uranium and nuclear explosions to frack are a match. Some will tell any lie to make lots of money. But that is capitalism without regulation. If you are Republican your are either going to smile and ignore this because people are making money and getting us oil, or you will be honest and look at what is really happening and have to compromise your principles to include regulation. But then if your kid makes a mistake, you do not think that regulations (rules) are called compromise. Then it is called the right thing to do.
So if there is nuclear waste underground, would that explode at some point and affect if there are earthquakes. Oh well, it might affect the aquafer also. But that will be the grandkids problem. That is the attitude we unbalanced the budget with also. Thank Ronny for that one.
California's next big quake will happen between April 26 and May 5 of this year.
Ironic that strong Oklahoma earthquake not far from the pipeline terminal at Cushing was caused by oil drilling:
http://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/2013/03/26/oklahoma-earthquake-was-largest-linked-to-injection-wells-new-study-suggests/
The hole is 10,000 feet deep Roger. The pressure increases by .44 pounds per foot so you have 4400 per square inch plus the pump pressure at the well head. Hydraulics is a principle with any liquid and there is more than enough pressure to cause plate shifts in our earth given enough time, pressure and volume.
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This pressurized well when fracking cracks open the shale. The sand or ceramic beads(they use both but ceramic is much more expensive) move into those cracks or fisssures under pressure and when the pressure is released the cracks are held open by the sand for the oil to escape.
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Not nuclear, not commie but prob still has many lies or untold truths. They occasionally push a nearby well out so there are localized costs and inconveniences as well.
Does the liquid head pressure due to depth equal the pressure of the rock, etc at the same depth?
That is an inconsistent variable in the formations, from a flowing well to a pumping well to obviously an empty hole that takes frac waste for years or months before building pressure.
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The reason for the ceramic frac sand versus silica is strength. As the well is pumped over time those pressures at depth diminish and the force on the sand increases crushing the silica and closing off the oil. Ceramic withstands a much greater pressure from the rock closing up which happens at a lesser head pressure as the oil is pulled away..
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My point was the 4400 psi pressure from the head depth adds to whatever pressure they put to it creating a monster without nuclear involvement. I can only repeat what I've heard, from 3,000-15,000 psi.
les is likely more:
http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/mann-oh-mann-rapid-city-lobbyist-larry-mann-takes-on/article_2e3a171d-88b9-5b32-a1d0-0ade95db2bcd.html