NY Quakes Probably Gas Drilling Related
Posted by feww on May 21, 2009
New York Earthquakes may be natural gas drilling activity related
having carefully researched and reviewed the SW New York seismic history, geological details of shale gas plays in the Appalachians and other related data, Moderators and blog contributors have concluded with 75% certainty the cluster of 3 earthquakes that struck Medusa, New York, earlier this week may have been caused by shale gas drilling activity.
The mainshock, a magnitude 3.0 tremor, struck on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 00:53 UTC, about 170km northeast of Dimock, Pennsylvania, followed by two smaller aftershocks measuring 2.1 and 1.9 Mw respectively. See below for details.
NE PA Gas Exploration & Central NY Wells. Epicenter of the mainshock is marked in red at [42.571°N, 74.112°W.] The recent earthquake cluster struck an area located about 31 km WSW of Albany NY, and 170 km northeast of Dimock, Pennsylvania. Map: Google. Image may be subject to copyright. For legend see original map.
Shale Gas Plays, Lower 48 States. Map date: March 16, 2009. EIA Data Sources: Published studies. [Click image to enlarge.]
See also: The 100 Volumetrically Largest U.S. Oil and Gas Fields [PDF 12MB]
CHK – Marcellus Shale Depth from Data and Cores - 10/16/2008 [source.] Image may be subject to copyright.
FEWW expects more seismic activity occurring in a 100-km radius area centered at 42.07°N, 75.27ºW, about 55km North of Hancock (town), New York, an area located outside the region’s recent historic seismicity. Should this occur, the Moderators would be able to recalculate the certainty factor.
This map shows the approximate depth to the base of the Marcellus Shale. It was prepared using the map by Robert Milici and Christopher Swezey above and adding depth-to-Marcellus contours published by Wallace de Witt and others, 1993, United States Department of Energy Report: The Atlas of Major Appalachian Gas Plays. Image and caption: Geology.com. Image may be subject to copyright.
Earthquake details:
Event #1 – Magnitude: 3.0
Date-Time: Monday, May 18, 2009 at 00:53:29 UTC
Location: 42.571°N, 74.112°W
Depth: 9 km (5.6 miles)
Region: NEW YORK
Distances:
- 15 km (10 miles) N (5°) from Medusa, NY
- 16 km (10 miles) SSW (203°) from Altamont, NY
- 17 km (11 miles) WSW (240°) from Voorheesville, NY
- 29 km (18 miles) WSW (250°) from Albany, NY
- 138 km (86 miles) WNW (292°) from Springfield, MA
- 208 km (129 miles) N (356°) from New York, NY
Source: Lamont-Doherty Cooperative Seismographic Network (LCSN)
Event ID: ld1023914
Earthquake Location. Map Centered at 43°N, 74°W. Source: USGS? ANSS
Event #2 – Magnitude 2.1
Date-Time: Monday, May 18, 2009 at 07:21:57 UTC
Location: 42.567°N, 74.109°W
Depth: 6 km (3.7 miles)
Source: Lamont-Doherty Cooperative Seismographic Network (LCSN)
Event ID: ld1023916
Event #3 – Magnitude 1.9
Date-Time Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 14:52:32 UTC
Location 42.575°N, 74.113°W
Depth 14 km (8.7 miles)
Source Lamont-Doherty Cooperative Seismographic Network (LCSN)
Event ID ld1023935
Related Links:
- ‘Diarrhea water’
- FEWW Saudi Quake Swarm Forecast 100 pct Correct!
- Saudi Quakes Oil Drilling Activity Related?
- Oil Drilling Likely Caused Texas Earthquake
- FEWW Earthquake Links
- Earthquake Forecast: Tokyo, Japan
- Moderate Quake Strikes LA
See also:
- http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/node/480
- http://internationalrivers.org/de/node/1477
- Top 5 Ways to Cause a Man-Made Earthquake: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/06/top-5-ways-that/
- Mining Sets Off Earthquake in Germany: http://feww.wordpress.com/2008/02/24/mining-sets-off-earthquake-in-germany/
- Seismicity in Oil Fields [A must read for anyone interested in more detailed analysis] : http://www.slb.com/media/services/resources/oilfieldreview/ors00/sum00/p2_17.pdf
Border Collie said
[Edited. Moderator.]
…
And, no, I’m not a Republican oil man or an ignorant Christian fundamentalist or a member of the idiotic Texas School Board or a gas-rich Texas land owner or any other such thing.
…
[Edited. Moderator.]
msrb said
You are NOT a geologist, judging by the nature of your comment.
Chazz said
What were you guys smoking when you came to this conclusion???
feww said
What’s your interest in the analysis?
Could it be that YOU
(i) work for the drilling companies, or
(ii) receive royalties for drilling on your land?
[We leave the substance abuse to the oil and gas drilling rednecks!]
Joe Schmock said
[Blah. Edited. Moderator]
Joe Schmock said
Joe Schmock said
Joe Schmock said
[Joe Schmock, you've been banned from this BLOG for spamming!]
crusader said
Joe Schmock? What kind of mother calls her little… Joe Schmock?
Kim T said
The seismic history of the area seems to support connection with gas-drilling activities.
msrb said
Group demands more Pennsylvania natgas regulation
Wed Sep 9, 2009 6:41pm EDT
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE5886ET20090909
By Jon Hurdle
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – Environmentalists accused Pennsylvania regulators of failing to protect public lands from damage by energy companies drilling for natural gas in the massive Marcellus Shale formation.
It is the latest potential environmental obstacle to the development of the Marcellus Shale, a reserve estimated to contain enough natural gas to meet total U.S. needs for at least a decade.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation filed an appeal on Wednesday with the state’s Environmental Hearing Board, claiming that the state Department of Environmental Protection did not properly assess the impact of erosion caused by Fortuna Energy Inc drilling in state forests in Tioga County, northern Pennsylvania.
Tom Rathbun, a DEP spokesman, said the department does not comment on pending litigation.
A spokeswoman for Fortuna’s parent company, Talisman Energy Inc of Calgary, Canada, said the company was surprised by the foundation’s appeal and that Fortuna meets or exceeds all government regulations in all of its operations.
“Environmental stewardship is an absolute top priority for us. Our environmental record since our inception in 2002 is something we’ve always been very proud of,” spokeswoman Phoebe Buckland said.
The DEP issued a permit in March for the project under a new expedited applications process that failed to meet legal requirements for a study of the effect of drilling on erosion and sediment control, the foundation said.
The appeal, filed on Tuesday, is the first legal challenge to the DEP’s regulation of the Marcellus Shale, and is likely to set a precedent, whatever the outcome, said Matt Royer, an attorney for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
The move follows criticism by drilling opponents the DEP is failing to adequately protect public and private lands from suspected water contamination and other environmental damage by energy companies developing the Marcellus Shale.
Some rural communities have also accused natural gas companies of polluting ground water during the process of drilling into the shale. The industry argues that its safeguards prevent any escape of toxic chemicals into water supplies.
“The DEP is rubber-stamping permit applications without any formal review whatsoever,” Royer told a conference call with reporters. “Our state environmental protection agency is not doing what it should do to protect our environment.”
The foundation argues that restraints on drilling companies were weakened when the DEP told county conservation districts in March that they no longer had authority to review permit applications for erosion and sediment control. They are urging the agency to restore the local oversight of drilling applications.
The DEP’s new policies violate environmental laws including the federal Clean Water Act, the appeal alleges. (Editing by Daniel Trotta and Philip Barbara)
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