Magnitude 4.4 earthquake detected near Fort St. John, B.C.
Both natural and induced quakes have occurred in region, seismologist says
A seismologist with Natural Resources Canada says experts will look into a 4.4 magnitude earthquake that struck northeastern B.C. Monday to determine if it was natural or linked to hydraulic fracturing, a technique used to extract natural gas from shale rock.
The earthquake occurred at 1.15 p.m. PST, in a wilderness area about 116 kilometres northwest of Fort St. John. The agency said the quake was lightly felt in both Fort St. John and Charlie Lake, a small community about eight kilometres northwest of Fort St. John. There were no reports of damage.
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John Cassidy, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada. said the region has experienced earthquakes in the past — all small — some of them natural and some attributed to hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The process involves injecting a combination of water, sand and chemicals underground at high pressure to break the rock and free the gas.
Quake could be natural
"We don't know at this point," Cassidy said. "It could be, or it could be a natural earthquake as well. We know that both types occur in this region. Both natural earthquakes and induced earthquakes. It will take a little bit of time to sort that out."
A 2012 report from the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission, the province's energy regulator, linked a spate of small earthquakes in northeastern B.C. to fracking.
Cassidy said a consortium that includes the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission, federal seismologists, and universities in Alberta and B.C. are examining possible links between earthquakes and fracking.
"We do have a project looking at this," Cassidy said. "There is a lot of research going on in the area," he said, adding that seismic stations have been set up in northeastern B.C. in the last two years to help scientists get a better look at the small earthquakes in the region.
In August 2014 an earthquake of 4.4 magnitude struck about 50 kilometres to the north of Monday's quake, Cassidy said.