Focus on Arts and Ecology

June 14-20, 2019

Late in the evening of 17 June, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake shook Changning county, Sichuan leaving 12 dead and over 70 buildings damaged, reports The Beijing News. The area frequently experiences quakes and has become a centre of China’s “fracking” for shale gas. Wastewater disposal from fracking has been shown to trigger earthquakes, so recent tremors have left Chinese netizens wondering if it’s to blame.

Sun Shi Hong, a forecaster at the China Earthquake Administration, believes the Changning quake was likely natural, and unconnected to fracking or construction of a nearby dam. He said that most earthquakes triggered by fracking happen at a depth of 4 to 5 kilometres and a magnitude of 3 to 4. This earthquake occurred at 16 kilometres down.

Fracking in the area has increased in recent years. In late May, China National Petroleum Corporation’s shale gas daily production in the area topped 10 million cubic metres. The company plans on continuing to expand its production, producing over 15 million cubic metres per day by the end of the year. Chinese demand for natural gas is skyrocketing as it seeks to replace coal, thereby reducing air pollution and emissions. The current five-year plan for shale gas sets ambitious targets for extraction.

Read more from chinadialogue about the rise of shale gas fracking in China and earthquake concerns in Feng Hao’s recent article.