Tremors in UK city likely from gas fracking: report

Blackpool in the UK experienced 50 separate earth tremors due to 'fracking'', or hydraulic fracturing, involving pumping water, sand and chemicals at high pressure into shale rock, for releasing the gas it held, The Independent reported.

The seismic movements, according to one of the authors of a report are likely to have been caused by the fracking operations in the area by Cuadrilla Resources, which said it had found enormous supplies of shale gas.

The report, which was commissioned by the energy firm, said it was "highly probable" that Cuadrilla's operations were responsible for two tremors that hit Lancashire. The  tremor was recorded at 2.3 on the Richter scale. It hit the Fylde Coast on 1 April and a second of magnitude 1.4 was recorded on 27 May.

The report, which is being sent to the government, led to an intensification of the controversy over "fracking.

In an interview with The Independent , Mark Miller, Cuadrilla's chief executive, accepted that 50 tremors did seem a lot but dismissed their significance.

He said there was a certain level of seismic activity that could occur even with a truck going past a house.
 
However, Milleradded just because it caused little damage, it did not mean the company was not concerned about the damage. He added it was not good for the company if the public was concerned and it was not good for the production of gas.