Basics of Fracking

What this episode covers

During the elections, the idea of energy independence came up a lot. In fact, there was major emphasis put on our nation's ability to pull fossil fuels from the ground. In particular, there was mention of hydraulic fracking and horizontal drilling. But how many of us could easily explain what that process is, and why it may be a way for the country to have an excess in natural gas? In this week's Untamed Science video Rob explores the basics of hydraulic fracturing via a Skype call with geologist Dan Bertalan. He explains what they pump into the ground, how it fractures the rock and how that allows natural gas to then come to the surface. If you want a better explanation of fracking... : ------------------------------------------------------ Hydraulic fracturing is the propagation of fractures in a rock layer, as a result of the action of a pressurized fluid. Some hydraulic fractures form naturally—certain veins or dikes are examples—and can create conduits along which gas and petroleum from source rocks may migrate to reservoir rocks. Induced hydraulic fracturing or hydrofracking, commonly known as fraccing or fracking, is a technique used to release petroleum, natural gas (including shale gas, tight gas, and coal seam gas), or other substances for extraction. This type of fracturing creates fractures from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations.

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