Fracking sand, which has a hard lump shape, is used for fracking to keep the fractures open in pressure "fracked" oil shale such that the oil can drain to the recovery points. At least that is how I understand it. K
The Silica Sand facility has been shipping carloads of it out of there for over 100 years. The UP local picks up a string of loads and drops empties nearly daily there. They just relaid the track and maintained the siding recently.
https://www.ussilica.com/locations/pacific-mo Products are described in detail, including purest quality whole grain silica sand used in flat glass and glass containers, and the chemical, foundry, oil and gas industries, including "microproppants small enough to enter induced fractures, increasing production through the fracture network," and US Silica White for "your most demanding fracturing needs".
A practice responsible for the series of moderate earthquakes experienced throughout Oklahoma, known as "induced seismicity."
North central Oklahoma had a 4.2 earthquake last week. Cynthia said she felt it but I guess I was asleep. They said it was a direct cause from injection well nearby. There's not too many of these wells left, most of them have been shut down. Joe
I don’t believe that’s an accurate statement... https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/oklahoma-...s_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products
Or, if you prefer: https://www.gwpc.org/topics/induced-seismicity/ Or, https://www.ou.edu/content/dam/ogs/...atement_USGS_Hazard_Assessment_2016-03-28.pdf
The Fracking sands mine business s have more than tripled their business from ~ a decade + ago. The mines on the White River now are very close to the homes in that area. Those home owners can't find buyers unless sold to those who works for that mine. [ good increases of business of the short-line's railroad and hopper car ownerships; also for the Class 1 railroads on their routes toward the fracking ] At our cabin on Bull Shoals Lake (no longer) earthquakes from fracking would wake me up at 3 AM with the cabin's floor, concrete slab, bounced. The only fracking we could find was over 150 miles to the southwest. Likely in OK. ? Does rocky and rock slabs in the Ozarks increase the range of earthquakes transmissions? Is there more damages in wet soft lands.? Back to Hwy 66 into Pacific: I remember that three lane highway was a real killer as cars would increase their velocities way over the speed limits.
Some tremors do occur in southeast Missouri, including St Louis. We experienced probably ten or so over the past 30 years we lived in Frontenac. No damage. Blame the New Madrid fault, not fracking. K ps - The fault is pronounced as New "Mad-drid", not "Madrid" as in the Spanish city. It's a "Missourism".
Oil and gas companies have used acid fracking since the late 1930’s and hydraulic fracking since the 1940’s. It’s nothing new. There are very few examples that can be cited of induced seismicity derived by the actual fracking practice. The induced seismicity is bettered traced to the practice of injecting waste water, which is derived from fracking AND conventional oil and gas production, back into the formation at depth. Before BHP sold it's unconventional properties, we strove to use fracking fluids, which could be recycled on the surface. During the the early 1960’s, the US government drilled a well for the purpose of injecting waste water from the Rocking Mountain Arsenal. When the injection process began, so did the seismic events. Eventually they figured-out things, the injections ceased. This is an interesting paper. https://earthquake.usgs.gov/static/lfs/research/induced/Healy-et-al-1968-Science-(New-York-NY).pdf During my employment with the Colorado Geological Survey, I had the opportunity to visit the Arsenal, when the Corps of Engineers drilled some wells. At the time, the Arsenal handled binary nerve gas agents, and when I entered the property, I was given a self-injecting atropine syringe. Surreal stuff. Well indurated or high density bedrock has a higher velocity than do more poorly consolidated sediments, so the P (compressional) and S (shear) waves travel farther in higher velocity sediments. The waves that travel through less dense material, tend to have higher compressional amplitudes, and damage can be higher to structures that at located on poorly consolidated sediments.
Sorry for starting everybody down the rabbit hole. Apparently wastewater injection, particularly saltwater, is blamed for the swarms of earthquakes experienced in Oklahoma in the mid-teens, not hydraulic injection, which involves the use of sand. So, sorry for a slight mis-statement.
