Fracking coal seams and its potential to trigger seismic events

The first paper in its series of Occasional Papers has now been published online in preprint form.

As explained on the landing page for Occasional Papers, establishment of this line of documents was approved by the Council of the Society to accommodate papers that are too long for its annual journal, or in some other way are not in a suitable format. At nearly 20,000 words, a review paper called Coal Seam Gas Mining: Potential to Induce Seismic and Aseismic Events and Aquifer Discontinuity is twice as long as the word limit indicated for articles for its annual Proceedings.

The paper reviews local and international experience in the propensity of fracking coal seam gas seams to trigger seismic events, with a tangible risk of earthquakes. The paper notes the loss of seismographic recording capacity in the University of Queensland and the lack of interest by the Queensland Government in knowing how serious is this risk. The President has issued a press release summarising the findings.

The paper has been subject to peer review and has been revised accordingly. It is published in pre-print form to allow feedback from people with expertise and lived knowledge of the coal seam gas industry. It is yet to be finally copyedited, formatted and proofread, but is scientifically authoritative.

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