The federal government is reporting an quake in an area of northwestern Alberta where fracking for energy development is common.
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Rosa said she did not know how long the investigation would take, adding it was too early to say if the quake was caused by fracking, which involves injecting water, sand and chemicals deep underground to break up rock formations.
Any seismic events great than four on the Richter scale require the operator to shut down and notify the regulator.
“Fox Creek town council is very concerned”, wrote mayor Jim Ahn in a letter to reporters.
Repsol said it was conducting hydraulic fracturing at the site at time of the quake, which occurred on the morning of January 12.
Many people have associated fracking with earthquakes.
“The company is investigating the event, which includes reviewing and analyzing available geological and geophysical data, as well as the onsite seismic monitoring data”.
AER said when seismic activity higher than 4.0 magnitude happens, companies affected by it have to stop their operations, and contact AER. “Operations will not resume at this location until a full assessment of the event has been completed and approval has been received from the AER”.
Fox Creek is about 270 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. In addition we have built a world class bike park and pump track, designed by Jay Hoots of Hoots Inc., developed one of the best walking trail systems in all of Alberta and designed and built a splash park that rivals many larger centers. Natural Resources Canada said no damage has been reported.
“I thought it was just a forklift backing into the wall”, St. Albert resident Ken Munroe said in the video below. It registered magnitude 4.8, according to the Alberta Energy Regulator. “It was a light quake that would have been felt”.
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Energy Minister Margaret McCuaig-Boyd said in a statement late Wednesday afternoon that she will be in touch with Ahn to discuss his concerns and how they can be addressed.
