The tremors have been felt just days after a divisive operation got under way, but they are said to have been "not unexpected".
The British Geological Survey (BGS) has detected tremors in the vicinity of a controversial fracking operation in Lancashire.
Energy company Cuadrilla started hydraulic fracturing at the site in
Little Plumpton, near Blackpool, earlier this week after an unsuccessful
High Court appeal to block it.
In a statement, the BGS said that the seismic activity recorded at
2.20pm on Friday was "not unexpected", as hydraulic fracturing is
"generally accompanied by microseismicity".
A Cuadrilla spokesperson said the firm "was not fracking at the time the
tremors were felt" - and that they were below the level that would
require them to pause its work.
The magnitude recorded by the BGS on Friday was 0.3, while tremors felt on Thursday came in at -0.3 and -0.8.
Anything measuring zero or below is classified as "green", while
recordings up to 0.5 are "amber", meaning fracking should proceed with
caution.
Readings above 0.5 mean fracking should be suspended immediately.
"We share all of our data with the BGS and the tremors were not strong
enough to have been felt at surface level," the company spokesperson
added.
Earthquakes were also felt the last time fracking took place in the UK
in 2011 - again in Lancashire - and the process had to be brought to a
halt.
The latest operation - set to last three months - has already faced
disruption due to bad weather and protests, with dozens of activists
descending on the site on Monday to express their concerns about the
environmental impact.
Cuadrilla has permission to operate between 8am and 6pm on weekdays, and 9am and 1pm on Saturdays.
The BGS said it had deployed additional surface seismic sensors to
monitor across the North to coincide with the project, which will
provide "an independent assessment" of whether any activity is natural
or caused by the fracking.
All of the data collected by the sensors will be published on its website, the society said.
https://www.geezgo.com/sps/43553
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The British Geological Survey (BGS) has detected tremors in the vicinity of a controversial fracking operation in Lancashire.
Energy company Cuadrilla started hydraulic fracturing at the site in
Little Plumpton, near Blackpool, earlier this week after an unsuccessful
High Court appeal to block it.
In a statement, the BGS said that the seismic activity recorded at
2.20pm on Friday was "not unexpected", as hydraulic fracturing is
"generally accompanied by microseismicity".
A Cuadrilla spokesperson said the firm "was not fracking at the time the
tremors were felt" - and that they were below the level that would
require them to pause its work.
The magnitude recorded by the BGS on Friday was 0.3, while tremors felt on Thursday came in at -0.3 and -0.8.
Anything measuring zero or below is classified as "green", while
recordings up to 0.5 are "amber", meaning fracking should proceed with
caution.
Readings above 0.5 mean fracking should be suspended immediately.
"We share all of our data with the BGS and the tremors were not strong
enough to have been felt at surface level," the company spokesperson
added.
Earthquakes were also felt the last time fracking took place in the UK
in 2011 - again in Lancashire - and the process had to be brought to a
halt.
The latest operation - set to last three months - has already faced
disruption due to bad weather and protests, with dozens of activists
descending on the site on Monday to express their concerns about the
environmental impact.
Cuadrilla has permission to operate between 8am and 6pm on weekdays, and 9am and 1pm on Saturdays.
The BGS said it had deployed additional surface seismic sensors to
monitor across the North to coincide with the project, which will
provide "an independent assessment" of whether any activity is natural
or caused by the fracking.
All of the data collected by the sensors will be published on its website, the society said.
https://www.geezgo.com/sps/43553
Join
Geezgo for free. Use Geezgo's end-to-end encrypted Chat with your
Closenets (friends, relatives, colleague etc) in personalized ways.>>
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