To Frack or Not to Frack
You Decide
What Is Fracking
Marcellus Shale
Marcellus Formation is a unit of marine sedimentary rock found in eastern North America. Named for a distinctive outcrop near the village of Marcellus, New York, in the US. It extends throughout much of the Appallachian Basin. The shale contains largely untapped Natural gas reserves, and its proximity to the high-demand markets along the East Coast of the US. Although black shale, it also contains lighter shales and interbedded limestone layers due to sea level variation during its deposition almost 400 million years ago.[6] The black shale was deposited in relatively deep water devoid of oxygen, and is only sparsely fossiliferous. Most fossils are contained in the limestone members, and the fossil record in these layers provides important paleontological insights on faunal turnovers. The black shales also contain iron ore that was used in the early economic development of the region, and uranium and pyrite which are environmental hazards. The fissile shales are also easily eroded, presenting additional civil and environmental engineering challenges.
Fracking Won’t Set Your Faucet on Fire.
Fracking Won’t Cause Earthquakes.
Fracking Fluid Is Not Going to Cause Cancer
What is that mysterious concoction being shot underground
the fracking industry has a habit of recovering most of its fluid and recycling it. This does not prevent every drop of fluid from being spilled, but it certainly means that most of the material is recovered. This saves the company doing the drilling money as well as improving its environmental impact.The secret to fracking fluid is water and sand. Those two components make up about 98% of the fluid mix. The remaining 2% is composed of ingredients that are familiar to many of us, such as citric acid, guar gum (a common food additive, used to suspend the sand in the fluid), and even common table salt. Currently, fracking is regulated at the state level, and as such is exempt from the federal Clean Water act, which would require all companies to disclose the chemicals they use.