Shale gas drilling causes quake

“Small earthquake in Blackpool, major shock for UK's energy policy,” headlines the Independent, after drilling on Britain's first natural shale gas project in Lancashire, north-west England, was suspended after a second earthquake in the area. Following a 2.3 magnitude quake in April, a 1.5 magnitude occurred on 27 May near the seaside resort of Blackpool “at the same time that the energy company Cuadrilla Resources was injecting fluids under high pressure deep underground to deliberately blast apart the gas-bearing rock.” The drilling process, known as “fracking”, is highly controversial, and banned in France as well as New York and Pennsylvania states in the US, where shale gas accounts for 45% of the country's gas supply. People in the US “living close to fracking sites have been filmed setting fire to tap water contaminated with methane gas,” the London daily notes, adding that, for experts “drilling like this can trigger small earthquakes." According to Cuadrilla Resources the Lancashire site could provide up to 10% of the UK's gas supply.