The magnitude 5.8 earthquake that rattled the east coast back in August triggered speculation about whether the controversial gas drilling technique called fracking may have been responsible. Fracking involves drilling thousands of feet into the shale deep below the earth’s surface, then fracturing the earth by pumping millions of gallons of sand, water, and chemicals into the shale to release natural gas. So far, contamination of groundwater supplies has been the focus of those opposing big energy’s push to expand fracking. Now, evidence is mounting of a connection between fracking and unusual seismic activity the worldover.
Mark Fischetti is a Senior Editor at Scientific American Magazinewho oversees the magazine’s energy, environment, and sustainability coverage and has been tracking frackingfor more than a year.
Chris Mooney's article, The Truth About Fracking
