Definition
High-volume hydraulic fracturing, commonly called “fracking,” uses horizontal drilling methods, high-pressure pumps and packers, and liquids to fracture tight oil reservoirs, and specialized chemicals with proppants to enhance extraction of large volumes of natural gas and crude oil from generally low-porosity oil and gas source rocks. The matching of significant technical developments in drilling capabilities, engineering extraction design, drill tool geo-steering, and improved deep seismic imaging has created what is referred to as the shale revolution. In the process, enormous amounts of petroleum have been produced from unconventional reservoirs using these techniques. While creating an economic gain and opportunities for oil and gas companies, landowners, some workers and vendors, environmental and socioeconomic challenges remain for those living near the unconventional drilling and production regions. These social and environmental challenges are most notable during...
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Jacobs, J.A., Testa, S.M. (2020). Environmental Issues of Hydraulic Fracturing Operations. In: Sorkhabi, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Petroleum Geoscience. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02330-4_306-1
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