Fracking - The Hidden Danger

I know that there has been a lot said about fracking in resent weeks as to the pros and cons of this highly controversial process of breaking rock to get at the oil contained there in and I'd like to point out two things to those that support the industry.

One it is not 'new' technology, both America and Russia have been using it for year, hence why scientists know that the pollutants from this process end up in the local water system, killing marine life and making the water unsuitable to drink.

Two, if it was just plain water that was pressurised to break the rocks a lot more people would be happy with the idea of using fracking.  It is because a bundle of highly toxic, carcinogenic chemicals are added to the water that so many people are against using this technology.

Plain water is more than powerful enough to break rock.  If any body is interested then they should watch the two episodes of 'What Happened Next?' broadcast on Quest last night.  In one of those episodes there is the footage of a jet of water erupting out of a drain and lifting the back of the large car parked above it two metres into the air.  And that was just water pushing back out of the drains after a higher than average rain fall.  Think what man could do with just plain water.

Further more there is a danger in the location that the oil companies want to drill in the South East of England.

As reported by the BBC series 'Coast' there is a battle ship grounded in the Thames.  She ran aground sailing out to the battlefields of Europe during the Second World War, stuffed to the gun rails with armaments.  In that running aground she cracked her hull in half, rather like the Titanic in her death throws, and has sat there ever since.  The Army run regular patrols to gather up the explosives washed out of her by the tide and control explode them.  However they cannot risk sending in divers to clear her out because if they disturb her balance on the river bed and she rolls all the explosives could go off all at once.  They have calculated that if that happens it will cause a level five earthquake centred on the Thames valley.

So if a minor earthquake caused by fracking (they know it has happened before) rolls that ship over and she explodes the force of it is going to rip right up the river to London.  Now imagine what could happen if the tide is in when she blows.  I imagine all the other countries around the North Sea are going to be rather put out with us when the tsunamis start bouncing of their coasts.  Come to think of it I imagine that at least one of those killing waves will take a visit in London.

I wonder what will be left of the Houses of Parliament when it's done.